Submission
by Foxxy Jones
Summary: Fate is a cruel mistress and allows no one to be happy for long, even if it means snatching three boys away from their village.
1. Submission

"Lee?"

Rock Lee looked up from his drink and raised a heavy eyebrow. "Yef?"

"Lee."

Lee rolled his eyes. He spit out the straw and said, "Yes, _Neji-kun?"_

"How long have we been seeing each other? Ten months? A year?"

"Somewhere between those two figures, yes. Why do you ask?" Lee went back to his straw, nibbling on the end with an unusual dedication.

Neji snatched the straw away from him.

"Hey!"

When Neji didn't respond, Lee raised an eyebrow at him. Neji ignored him and turned his intense eyes to the chewed straw. Lee frowned and pushed back his drink. "Neji-kun? Are you alright?"

"Hm? Yes. I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"What a mess you turned this straw into."

"Neji!"

"Don't deny it, Lee. This thing isn't even useable anymore."

"And how in the name of youth does that hurt _you?_ It is my straw!"

Neji chuckled and flicked the straw under Lee's nose. "You're going to choke one day."

"I am not."

"Watch," Neji got up and walked out of the shop. Lee watched his back for a moment before he got up and followed him out.

He wordlessly fell in next to him and they walked down the road. Their walk home was a daily thing and had been for a long time. None of the Konoha citizens gave them a second glance, though a few of the new merchants of the day had done a double take on Lee.

When they came to the split in the road where Lee usually left for his apartment while Neji continued on to the Hyuuga subdivision, Lee instinctively turned. His hand was half way up to a wave when Neji grabbed the neck of his suit and yanked him back in the direction he was going. When Neji continued walking with no explanation, Lee took it as an invitation and followed him.

When they entered the Hyuuga home, a few of the white-eyed Hyuugas gave Lee the raised-eyebrow 'what the hell' look and Lee suddenly had the feeling he was not welcome. But, Neji ignored them like it was his job and simply herded Lee into his room, shutting the door behind them.

Lee looked around the spotless room, suddenly feeling exceedingly dirty. No matter how many times he entered Neji's room, it always had the same smell of house-cleaning supplies combined with the slight hint of the cinnamon-apple candle sitting on the dresser. Neji pushed him further into the room. Lee staggered slightly as he was maneuvered towards the bed and sat down. Neji didn't sit down.

"Neji-kun? Is something wrong?"

"No," Neji turned to look out his window. "I just want to ask you something."

"And you could not ask on the way here?"

"We have been together a very long time, haven't we, Lee?"

"I already answered that! Yes! You cannot tell me _that_ is why I am here!"

Neji ignored him. "I have become very close to you, probably more then I'd like to, considering my way of life and yours, as well."

"Thank you?"

Neji turned to him. "I have been thinking and I have come to a conclusion about what _I _want from life. With this conclusion came a question that I couldn't answer."

"What is it?"

"Awkward, untraditional and probably the biggest mistake I will ever make."

Lee laughed. "What is the question, Neji? I will do my best to answer it for you."

Neji turned around without answering and walked over to his dresser. He opened one of the drawers and drew out a medium sized box. It was thin and almost square. It was covered in a thin, velveteen fabric and was closed with a gold latch. Lee tilted his head curiously at the nice-looking box. "What is that?"

Neji eased open the latch and carefully opened the box to reveal its contents. Inside, there was a thin choker made of black leather. Polished silver studs and a small buckle glinted in the light from the window. Lee blinked in confusion and looked up at his boyfriend. A dark red tint had appeared on Neji's cheeks. His pale eyes were firmly pointed at Lee, but not at his face. "Lee… I want you…"

"Want… me?"

Neji sucked in a deep breath. "Yes. As my… s-slave…"

The words hit home with a resounding silence. Lee's mouth fell open and stayed there. It moved a little, as if he wanted to speak, but not a sound came out and the muscles eventually gave up. Neji's blush got considerably darker and he shut the box with a _snap_. "This was never meant to be an easy question to ask."

"N-neji…" That was all Lee managed to get out besides a few undignified squeaks.

"Don't stare at me like that."

Lee's mouth moved again, but nothing came out. He was staring at the box with a shocked expression. He shook his head and looked up with dark, shocked eyes. "But why!"

"I like you. I like you more then is proper. This has always been an _interesting_ thought since I met you and saw the way you just jumped at every word Gai-sensei said like an obsessive fan boy."

Lee's face darkened. "I am not obsessed with Gai-sensei!"

"I see. So, you would get rid of that spandex suit and let your hair grow out a little?"

"No!"

"I rest my case," Neji turned away. He set the box back down on the dresser. He didn't turn back around. "Think about it."

Lee got up. He moved to the door and replied quietly, "I will."

------

It was two in the morning and Neji had still not fallen asleep. His body was exhausted. His mind ached. And plainly, his butt hurt from being kicked so hard by Gai. It seemed like ever since he had made his proposal to Lee, Gai had become faster, stronger and much more sadistic then ever. Neji wasn't sure what it was. It wasn't him. He knew that.

Neji frowned and sat up, rubbing his eyes in frustration. He admitted to being distracted. It wasn't easy waiting for a reply. Lee hadn't spoken a lot to him since, but Lee was getting his share of butt-kickings from Gai-sensei as well. Gai was getting concerned, too, asking if Lee felt alright and feeling his forehead a lot.

Only Neji knew this wasn't Lee's fault.

He sighed and turned over on his back. He examined the ceiling silently, thoughts whirling around in his usually very organized mind. _I shouldn't have done this,_ he thought. _Lee has enough going on, with all the missions popping up every time he turns around. He's too much of a goody-goody abstinence boy, anyway. He wasn't ready for this. Besides, I have so much training to balance with missions it's insane._ He closed his eyes and pressed the heels of his hands against them. _I'm an idiot._

Then he became aware of a timid tapping on his window. He blinked and his hands fell from his eyes. He sat up and looked towards the window. Outlined against the darkness was a bright green spandex suit. Neji got out of bed and unlocked his window. "Do you know what time it is?"

"No."

Neji sniffed and frowned. "You smell."

"I have been training. I did not realize how late it had become. I am sorry."

"Just get in here. I'm not sending you home at two in the morning. Not that you'll get there."

Lee smiled and stepped through the window. He kicked off his shoes and placed a kiss on Neji's cheek. Neji wiped off the sweat that was left behind. "You need a shower."

Neji watched in amusement as Lee's face went so red it nearly disappeared in the dark room. He walked over to the light switch and flicked it on. He saw the extent of the damage done to his spotless room.

To say Lee was filthy would be an understatement.

Neji grabbed him by the back of his suit and dragged him protesting towards the bathroom. He threw him unceremoniously in, snapping, "Shower. _Now._"

"But-!"

Neji slammed the door shut on any other protests.

--------

Rock Lee struggled into one of Neji's night shirts. He looked himself over. He looked ridiculous. Neji had always had a broad set of shoulders, like most Hyuugas. Lee, on the other hand, was built sleekly, for speed. Not to mention the Byakugan carrier liked his shirts loose, so Lee cut quite a figure in his clothing.

Lee looked towards the laundry chute, where Neji had come in and thrown his beautiful spandex. He was pretty sure he'd never see it again.

Neji smirked as Lee came out of the bathroom. "At least you smell better."

"Well, meh!"

Neji stood up and met him halfway across the room. He placed a kiss on his clean cheek. "Now, why'd you come here at two in the morning instead of returning home?"

Lee's bright exterior suddenly faded. Neji tilted his head curiously as Lee averted his gaze. "Lee?"

"W-well... I…"

"Lee?"

Lee sucked in a deep breath before he did something that Neji never would have expected.

He dropped to his knees and bent forward to place his forehead on the marble tile in a gesture of total submission.

Neji stared down at Lee's prone form. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He closed his eyes. _When I open my eyes, Lee will not be there. I will be standing alone in my room and I will realize I have been sleepwalking._

Neji slowly opened his eyes.

Lee was still there. He hadn't moved.

"Lee, three days-"

"I know. But, I have not been doing nothing in that time. I have been thinking very hard about the positive and the negative aspects of this decision. This is my choice. If you will have me, I will give myself to you."

Neji stared down at him. He couldn't help but wonder what he had gotten himself into. He had been telling himself that this was fantasy, a curiosity that would remain in his imagination. He had told himself that Lee was far too proud to ever submit to anyone, much less him. He had told himself that Lee would never see him the same after Neji set up his offer.

He didn't know what he was supposed to do now.

Minutes ticked by before common sense kicked in. Neji walked over to his dresser and took the black case from where he had set it three days ago. He stood there for a brief moment and lightly caressed the velveteen fabric. He turned around. Lee still hadn't moved. He walked over to his submissive and carefully kneeled in front of him. He slipped one shaky hand under Lee, feeling the smooth hair brush his fingertips. He then eased tilted Lee's head up and guided him into a sitting up position.

"Lee."

"Neji-kun."

Neji let his hand fall and then rise again to touch the clasp on the box, as if it were a fixed motion. The clasp clicked as Neji eased the lid up. The collar waited patiently, a tempting shine on the dark leather and a lascivious glint played over the silver studs. He set the box on the floor like a glass jewelry case and took the alluring collar from its soft pedestal. The undone buckle caught the light, whispering enticing words to the hesitant Neji. Lee watched in curious interest as Neji's hands went on either side of his neck. He sat up a little straighter and tilted his head back slightly so Neji could see what he was doing.

Neji slipped the prong of the buckle through one of the holes and then eased the slack under the other side. He turned it gently a few times; making sure Lee would be able to breathe no matter what he did. His hands fell from his newly appointed slave's neck and came to rest on his lap. He looked him over. The black collar seemed to give Lee an entirely new look. Neji blinked a few times, just to make sure nothing obscured his vision.

Lee's hand slowly traveled up and touched the leather. His fingers caressed it lightly and his dark eyes followed his hand movement as if he could judge how it looked by what his hand did. The breath was released from his lungs in a gentle rush of air.  
"Lee."  
"Master Neji."  
Neji leaned over and lightly kissed Lee's forehead. Lee smiled, but it quickly turned into a yawn.

"It's been a long day."  
Lee rubbed his eyes on his sleeve and yawned again. That was enough of an agreement for Neji. He stood up, feeling exhaustion attempt to pull him down again. He offered his hands to his boyfriend and newly appointed slave. Lee took it gratefully and stood up on tired legs. The two supported one another as they made their way to Neji's bed.  
As they settled between the sheets, Neji curled his arms around Lee's waist. He lightly breathed in the scent of his lover.

He smiled. "Night, Lee."  
"Good night, Master Neji."


	2. Expectations

Lee's eyes fluttered open. His eyes flickered around the room, carefully examining his surroundings. _Ah, yes. That is right,_ he thought. _I slept over at Neji's last night…_

He yawned quietly and shifted a little to relive the pressure on his arm. He felt something tighten slightly around his waist. He peered over his shoulder and smiled. Neji was still dead asleep, one arm wrapped around Lee's waist. His mouth was slightly open, amplifying his gentle breathing. Lee doubted that God himself could wake him up. He eased himself out of bed, nearly tripping on the loose cotton pants. Neji murmured something in his sleep, but did not wake.

Lee muttered to himself as he pulled the guilty pant leg up off his foot. He carefully made his way across the white marble tile. He eased the door open. He did not expect it to creak, like all the Hyuuga doors, it was well oiled, and not a peep came from the trustworthy door. He shut it quietly behind him and made his way towards the kitchen.

--

Lee left among a tide of waves and goodbyes, a plate bearing bowls of rice in one hand, miso soup on the other hand and a plate with nori, salmon fillets and utensils balanced easily on his head. As he made his way towards Neji's room, he wondered why Neji never visited the kitchens. All the cooks were exceedingly nice. They had offered a wide variety of ingredients, most of which Lee had never laid eyes upon. However, in the end, Lee had ended up making breakfast just as he did at home. Neji had _never_ appreciated culinary creativity.

Lee passed a few of the Hyuuga clan members, all who avoided him like he bore the plague rather then risk a make over of miso and rice. As Lee thought about it, he probably made an odd sight anyway.

_I hope Neji-kun is still asleep or at least in his room,_ thought Lee as he hurried forward. _I would hate to know that he got up looking for me or thought I left without saying goodbye._

As if to answer his hopes, the Byakugan carrier rounded the corner and barely avoided impact with the carefully balanced Lee. They looked at each other for a moment, neither knowing quite what to say.

"You think you're carrying enough, Lee?"

Lee felt his face darken considerably. "W-well… I was hoping to catch you… No."

"I don't sleep in. Now give me one of those."

"No!" snapped Lee indignantly. "I am perfectly capable of doing this myse-" His argument was cut short by Neji placing one gentle kiss on his lips. His legs weakened and his arms suddenly got all shaky.

Neji smirked and took the plate containing the miso soup. "What's wrong, Lee? Feeling a little… weak?"

All Lee managed was a small string of nonsense.

Neji turned around and headed off towards his room. Lee eased the plate of fixings off his head and followed Neji, half-expecting to head to the dining room. However, the usual neat freak in Neji was obviously still asleep, leading them to the Byakugan carrier's room once more. Lee eased the door shut behind him with one foot. "Neji-kun?"

"Hm?"

Lee set down his plates next to Neji's before he sat down on the white marble tile with him. "About last night-"

"Yes, I know. We have to talk."

"Yes. I was… kind of wondering what exactly will be expected of me."

"Expected?"

"Yes. Much of my research came back inconclusive. I mean, it is not like I can simply ask around about something like this… or at least so I supposed."

"You supposed right. This is very untraditional, Lee. The possibility of you saying yes filled me with dread from the beginning. After all, all secrets are eventually discovered, yes?"

"Yes."

"But, after the display you put on last night-"

"Display my youthful, well-toned behind! It was no display. I am serious."

"Of course you are."

"Master Neji, this is a really big de-" Lee's comment was cut short by Neji shoving rice in his mouth.

Having successfully silenced his noisy companion, Neji lightly picked up his rice bowl and said, "You have nothing to worry about, Lee. Yes, this is a big deal. However, it will not change our relationship by much. While it will allow me more authority, this doesn't mean I expect total submission from you at this point. I'm not saying I won't eventually, but I'm not kidding myself. I know you are far too impulsive to submit even if you wanted to," Seeing Lee about to argue with him, he quickly shoved salmon in his mouth. "Period. Now, about what I'm going to be expecting."

Neji put a piece of salmon in his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. He paused and looked down at it. More silence.

"Look, if you wanted it any _more_ bland, I would have caught it at the river and served it like that."

Neji looked up and met Lee's dark eyes. He risked a small smile and skewered another piece. "Where'd you learn to cook?"

"Trial and error."

"What kind of steroids are in these?"

"Neji!" cried Lee indignantly.

"I know."

Lee glared at him. Neji smirked and for a while, breakfast went on quietly. Neji's thoughts returned to the topic of what he actually _expected_ of Lee. He had not given it much thought. He had actually expected to be rejected. However, as he watched his friend eat, a familiar want came over him, a want that had been satisfied late last night. His disorderly thoughts began righting themselves and sorted through this odd desire. He first began with things he was acquainted with.

He recognized that burning want to be better then his teammate. He recognized that _slight_ superiority complex he (and everyone else) had been working on getting rid of. That just about did it for things he was used to.

As for things he was not used to, he sorted through the basics of them. He moved a few of his feelings into a category summarized as his want for Lee's company, meaning he wanted to be alone with him and he wanted that odd sense of happiness that seemed to radiate from him. The second feeling was… weird. He thought for a moment to push it over with his superiority complex, but then as he examined it further, he saw that it was not that he thought he was better then Lee. It was that he wanted that same behavior displayed the night before for himself. He wanted Lee to submit. He wanted dominance.

This made him uneasy.

"Master Neji? Are you alright?"

Neji blinked and looked up. Lee was staring back at him, concern written in every inch of his face. That sense of easiness swept over Neji and an odd feeling of comfort crept into his mind, calming the turmoil of thoughts. He smiled. Then, he noticed a small smudge of soy sauce on the corner of Lee's mouth. His smile turned into a devious smirk as he reached for a napkin. He saw the worry on Lee's face turn immediately to panic. He leapt forward just as Lee tried to bolt for the door.

Amid torrents of outraged cries, he flipped over the struggling Lee and pinned him down with both legs and an arm. He lightly licked the corner of the napkin and tried to get to the dark spot on Lee's mouth.

"Neji!"  
"Lee."

"Get _off!"_

"No."

With his forearm firmly across Lee's neck, Neji managed to get the spot and released him. Lee sat up and gave Neji one of his best glares. "That was _not_ necessary!"

"No," Neji reached over and smoothed down one of the tufts of hair mockingly. "Really, Lee. I don't know what your problem is."

"I am not a child!"

"You act like one."

As if to prove Neji's point, Lee stuck his tongue out at him. Neji rolled his eyes and turned back to his breakfast.

Lee pouted at Neji's sudden loss of interest. Silence passed between them for a moment before Lee got a mischievous idea of his own. He managed to keep his smirk under control as he eased himself up to his hands and feet. He crawled over to Neji slowly and waited for a moment. Neji gave him a sideways glance, but that was it before he placed a small ball of rice in his mouth. That is when Lee made his move.

He struck like a snake, giving Neji's ear a light nip before scrambling to his feet and out the door. He did not get five feet before the bedroom door almost exploded off its hinges and Neji came hurtling out with death on his face. Panic and immediate regret swept over Lee as he put a burst of speed into his run.

He turned corners and fled down hallways with reckless abandon. He slammed open a door and stopped. The pale eyes of Neji's uncle, Hiashi Hyuuga, looked back at him with one of those 'what the hell' looks. Precious seconds ticked by like hours. Then, Lee heard raging footsteps behind him. He fled out into the courtyard and was directly in Hiashi's line of sight when the pale-eyed juggernaut pursuing him caught up to him.

Something like a torpedo slammed into Lee's back and forced him to the ground. He tried to squirm away from him, but no one got away from Neji. He placed seven well-aimed jabs into Lee's back and successfully stunned him. Then, he got off and grabbed him by the neck of his nightclothes. He looked over to Hiashi, whose mouth was hanging wide open. Neji just turned around and walked back towards his room, dragging his teammate behind him.

Lee, looking for all the world like a man damned to sacrifice, reached out with one hand and mouthed 'Help me!'

Hiashi watched until they disappeared behind the door. Then, he put one hand to his head and checked for fever.

--

Neji threw Lee backwards onto the bed and slammed both hands down on either side of his head. He glared down at him viciously. "Don't. Bite. Me."

Silence.

Lee tittered.

"Don't laugh while I'm angry at you!"

"Forgive me."

Neji flopped unceremoniously backwards onto the bed next to Lee. Lee stared. He sat up. "N- gah, Master Neji? Are you alright?"

"How much do you _weigh_?"

"I _beg_ your pardon!"

"Jesus, you don't look like you weigh as much as you do! It was like dragging a whimpering sack of bricks down the hallway!"

"Okay, two things! One, I was not _whimpering._ Two, it is _muscle,_ something you could use."

"Says the guy I floor daily," Neji sat up with a rough sigh.

Lee gave Neji a sidelong glare before he moved behind him and gently placed his hands on the hard bent shoulders. He gave a light pressure with the heels of his hands and pressed his thumbs gingerly in on either side of his spine. Neji's hands fell to the bed limply. Lee continued, using his entire hand to ease the tension from Neji's shoulders. He moved slowly downward to the shoulder blades and rubbed along the bones. Neji shuddered.

"Where'd you learn to massage?"

"Hard work and practice."

"On who?"

"Gai-sensei. You would not imagine that a few training sessions could build up so much stress, but it really does. As far as I can tell, you have not relaxed once in your life."

"I relax all the time."

"May I suggest a little more time?"

"Cheeky."

"Nn," Lee's hands lightly inched forward around Neji's ribcage, fingers now light along his chest. His cheeks turned pink.

Neji raised an eyebrow. "What are you thinking?"

"Nothing…"

Neji poked Lee's cheek. "This isn't saying nothing."

"It really is nothing! It is just that… no! It is just nothing! Really!"

"What is it, Lee?"

"Nothing!"

"Don't make me hurt you."

Lee chuckled nervously. "Well, it is actually… about our relationship."

_This is the part where he has second thoughts. _"What about it?"

"I am just wondering… well, in my research of this topic I came across an article that said… well, I mean that it said…" He took a deep breath and quickly stated, "_Am I going to be having sex with you!_ There I said it."

Neji stared at him. He could feel his face getting a little darker. "Sex?"

"Yes…"

Neji frowned. "Where'd you find an article like that?"

"Gai-sensei lets me look through his magazines. Most of them are catalogues full of spandex and underwear, but a few of them are a little more… er… deviant."

"So, Gai-sensei's giving you dirty magazines?"

"Oh gosh, no! Most of them are under his bed and I found them while looking for a medallion."

"Alright, why were y- Y'know what, never mind. I don't want to know. What did it say?"

"It was mostly about that when two people go into a master/slave relationship, it is mostly revolved around… the bedroom. I am just wondering if that is the extent of my expectations."

Neji stared at him for a moment, trying to process the words being said and the worry written on Lee's face. It was true that Lee had to be the most immature person on the face of the planet when it came to anything of sexual nature. Even the mention of sex had blood rushing to his cheeks and suddenly the green-clad ninja could barely form words. However, as he examined Lee's expression, he saw the trace hint of actual _fear._ "Lee."

He saw the boy's lip twitch in response to the serious tone.

"I'm not going to lie to make you feel better. I _will_ have sex with you, eventually. Your role as my slave will play a big part in it as well. This is how it is."

"But, what if… I…"

"No, I will _not_ force it."

"Well, yeah, but-"

_"Ev-er."_

"Well… okay…"

Lee's voice was nothing but a whisper. A few more minutes of silence passed before Lee spoke again.

"So, what was the hurry, anyway?"

"Excuse me?"

"We are thirteen, Master Neji. Could this not wait until we were, perhaps, _older?_ Correct me if I am wrong, but is this not something we should be doing when we are around twenty?"

Neji shrugged. "We're ninjas."

Then, he sat back against the wall as if he expected that to answer everything. But, one look at his lover made him realize nothing was _ever_ that simple. He sighed. _"Meaning_ our life span is considerably _shorter_ then most. If it's all the same to you, I'd rather have you to myself for as long as I can before someone kills you."

"Why me?"

"Oh, come on. I am the strongest genin in the village and you dropped out of the Academy. Who do you _really_ think is going to die first?"

"You are so _blunt."_

"Cry me a river."

"If I did, you would just build a dam in it."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"Your face makes no sense," Lee pouted, settling himself next to Neji. He didn't say anything as he took Neji's hand. Neji watched with a quiet patience as Lee began toying with his fingers, sliding the tips of his fingers up and down Neji's as if they were a foreign object. His pale eyes slid up to see that Lee's face was almost blank, as if he were studying every tiny detail in Neji's pale skin.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing," Lee curled both hands around Neji's and placed a light kiss on his knuckles.

Neji tilted his head a little. He slid his hand from Lee's and set it softly against his cheek. He turned Lee's head and touched the lightly sunburned lips with his own. A small, involuntary moan came from his lover as he provided the last bit of pressure.

A small burst of serotonin traced through Neji's body, relaxing every muscle it touched and offering up tempting pictures to his mind. He gave one last gentle press and broke the kiss. Lee came back immediately, recapturing his lover's lips and slipping his hand across the back of Neji's neck. Neji's arm circled Lee's waist and pulled him up closer. His other reached behind him and felt around until he found a thin cord hanging on the wall. He grabbed it and pulled lightly. He let go and the blinds dropped shut with a _snap!_

His hand returned to Lee's cheek and he used his thumb to help coax his mouth open. He slid his tongue in and against Lee's, feeling him almost competitively push his tongue back. He could feel his face heating up as he gently pulled away. Lee's tongue followed him for a moment, a thin line of saliva connecting them for a brief moment before it broke.

Neji could see the beginnings of a protest on Lee's lips. He moved his mouth up against Lee's jaw line and trailed kisses along it, feeling the vibrations in his teeth as Lee gave a small, surprised moan. The hand on Lee's cheek slid up to tangle in his dark hair, holding him still as Neji's lips kissed their way down his neck. He pressed his open mouth against the strong muscles in Lee's neck and his teeth scraped across the tanned skin.

The air hissed between Lee's teeth, releasing with a small groan. His arm curled around Neji's neck. "Neji…"

Neji slid his tongue against the reddening skin and his hand slipped under Lee's shirt. Lee's hand jerked and his breath hitched. Neji peered up at him with a raised eyebrow. Lee's hand resettled on the back of his neck.

Neji shrugged and returned to lavishing attention across Lee's strong body. His hand worked its way up Lee's body, feeling over hard abs that ran like rocks under his fingertips. He traced along the line defining Lee's pectoral muscles. Slim fingers traced along a hardening nipple, brushing the sensitive skin with long, teasing circles.

Lee's arms were getting tighter around his neck, pulling him closer. Neji bit and held Lee's neck. His other hand came off Lee's waist and down his side. He slipped his fingers under Lee's waistband.

Lee squealed and pushed him back hard.

Neji stared at him for a moment. Lee's face was burning up and his entire body was shaking. He refused to meet Neji's eyes, choosing instead to turn them towards the window sill. Neji frowned.

"Lee?"

"I am sorry, Neji-kun! It… I just… I am sorry!"

"Lee."

"It is not like I do not want to, please do not think that! I really, really love you and-"

"Lee."

"-love to make love to you but I am just-"

"Lee."

"-ready and I have training later and-" Lee looked up to his lover's face and he fell silent. His eyes flickered around the room for a moment before hesitantly flicking back up to Neji. "It is nothing personal, Neji-kun…"

"I know."

"Well, you just know everything, huh?"

"Damn straight."

Lee gave an uneasy smile that quickly faded as he once again turned his eyes away. "I really am sorry, Neji-kun."

"Don't worry about it. It isn't that important," Neji put one hand on Lee's cheek and placed a kiss on the other. "If it was, I would have laid you by now."

"Way to ruin a moment."

"There was never a moment."

"Heh… Hey, what time is it?"

"I dunno."

Lee looked over at the clock. "We probably have to get g- _Oh my youthful GOD! We are __**late!"**_

Neji watched Lee jump off the bed and start tripping all over the room, trying to get dressed and gather his bearings at the same time. Neji made no effort to get up until Lee ran into the corner of his closet door and started bleeding, in which he sighed and got up to get a towel.


	3. Exploration

Rock Lee opened the door to his apartment, exhausted from the day's training, but feeling delightfully relaxed as he had all day. He and Neji had not spoken a lot since the … incident, but it was not an uneasy silence. There was just nothing that needed to be said. Tenten had given them a curious glance when they showed up together, but besides that, training had gone on as it did everyday.

Gai-sensei had driven them through exercise after exercise and launched multiple surprise attacks at them, leaving a few considerable bruises to think about on all three of his students. Lee never minded his sensei's methods, but he was annoyed that he was suddenly plagued with lustful images. If Neji felt the same, he did a good job at hiding it.

Gai-sensei had asked him three times if anything was wrong with him, once after he had been punched out of a tree and twice as he lay dazed on the ground after a vicious sparring match. Each time, Lee had answered in ambiguous (and somewhat slurred) terms rather then lie to his sensei. Though a straightforward 'no' would not have _really_ been lying, it made Lee feel terrible knowing he was worrying his sensei.

Lee made his way towards his room, hiding a yawn behind a bandage-wrapped hand. Stepping into the room, he noticed immediately that most the disarray he had left the day before was now fixed and a spandex-suit and a set of legwarmers were folded impossibly neat on his bed.  
"I _hate_ it when he cleans my room without my knowledge."  
He picked the suit and legwarmers up off the bed and opened a drawer to put them away. He drew back a little with surprise. Lying right on another set of clothes was a cream-colored envelope. Five words were written on the front in a familiar, curling penmanship:

To My Beautiful Green Beast

Lee picked it up carefully and set the clothes down in its place. Shutting the drawer with his foot, he opened the letter and pulled out the white paper inside.

_You owe me._

Lee rolled his eyes and smiled. He slipped the paper back into the envelope. But, as he thought about the note and to the incident it referred to, his smile faded. He peered out the window at the brightly colored sky. He sighed.

_I do not know what is wrong with me, _Lee shivered a little and looked around. _Brr… air conditioning must have kicked in…_  
Lee turned to his bed and stared at it for a while. Then, he eased himself flat on the ground. He reached under his bed and felt around until his hands touched something hard and flat. He pulled out a green, hard cover book. He sat down on the floor and opened it across his lap.  
He flipped through the pages, quietly murmuring to himself as he read passages and passages of notes he had compiled from various discussions with Gai-sensei. He searched for anything that would help him find out what was wrong with him.

But, even as he hit the end of the book and flipped over to start again, he could not find anything. He had never discussed sex with his teacher. It just never came up and if it had, Lee had been too nervous to take notes. He sighed again as he reached the end of the book for the second time.

"I never write down what I actually _need_ to know."

He closed the book and sat it down next to him. He tilted his head back to rest against his bed and stared up at his ceiling. He made a mental note to find the time, probably after training one day, to get his teacher's advice on the matter. Upon thinking of it, he also made a note to keep the questions obscure enough to conceal why he was asking. He knew his sensei longed for his happiness, but Gai was protective and Lee liked Neji's face the way it was currently arranged.

Lee shivered again. "Shoot, I need to turn that d- NNH!"  
A hand was slapped over Lee's mouth as thin, wire strings were quickly and skillfully wrapped around his arms. He lashed out viciously with his leg, catching his attacker with a glancing blow. Lee twisted for another strike, but his attacker's hands lashed out and grabbed both his ankles, flipping his body and slamming him face first into the paneling.

Lee struggled to get up without his limbs, but the wires bit cruelly into his arms. He glared over his shoulder, trying to see his attacker, but all that he could see was a pair of pale white eyes among folds of black fabric. That is all his attacker was. Black fabric, morphing out of the shadows as if it were one itself.

The shadow pulled a length of wire from a tightly wound coil and began twisting it around his ankles.

"Get _off!_"

Lee managed to break one foot free and slammed it into he hoped was his attacker's face. The head snapped back and Lee heard it crack. He drew back again and hit harder, a sideways kick that forced its neck to bend at an impossible angle. Lee was rewarded with the sound like a snapping branch. It let go and fell backwards.

Lee sighed with relief. He pulled against the wires surrounding him. He cried out sharply. The wire felt like they were filleting his limbs, but they did not even tear his clothing. "Shoot!" Lee snapped, looking around for anything that could help him. "What n-"

Then, he froze as he heard a rustle and sharp cracks behind him. He glanced over his shoulder and the blood left his face. His attacker was _sitting back up!_ It twisted its neck, bones popping and snapping back into place. It righted itself and pulled a black handkerchief from the many folds in its outfit.  
Lee tried to squirm backwards as the black-gloved hand brought that cursed fabric towards his face, but something like a padded vice seized the back of his neck and held him still. He sucked in a deep breath before the fabric was pressed firmly over his mouth and nose.

He struggled valiantly in the hold of his abductor, kicking every body part that came within reach to try to distract him, just for a minute. But, his attacker ignored the powerful kicks with an ease that was inhuman, not even flinching as Lee nailed it repeatedly. Lee's taijutsu was obviously useless. His captor felt nothing and it was going to wait it out. No one could hold their breath forever.  
With a final struggle and a desperate gasp, Lee fell downwards into darkness, but he never hit the ground.

Then, he found himself at the bottom of a lake of heavy, warm, thick honey. It was a deep and he was alone. The world was either dark or he had not opened his eyes yet. He did not care. It was a perfect place. His body was pleasantly numb and the world around him was merely a dull, meaningless hum in the darkness. He was weightless. It was quiet, peaceful and plainly, it suited him just fine.

He was about to settle himself back into its warmth when someone wrapped their hand around him, scooping him up and lifting him slowly and carefully from the perfect place. He could not move, could not speak to protest, only dazedly attempt to open his eyes. He broke the surface of the lake and was rudely dropped to a hard wooden surface that rattled and jumped below him.

He fought to open his eyes, blinking slowly to clear away the haze. His head spun and his mouth was filled with the sour, bitter taste of vomit. His body ached and his mind was cloudy. He was exhausted.

_What is going on…?_

--

"It isn't like him to miss training."

"It isn't like him not to answer the door either."

Tenten opened the pouch on her belt and fished out a brass colored key. She stuck it in the lock of Rock Lee's apartment and pushed open the door, shouting, "Lee, we're here to kill you!"

"Yeah, he's definitely coming out now."

"I don't need your sarcasm, Neji."

Neji shrugged and looked around, which looked very well lived in. The organization of the small apartment was unfathomably original, dominated by inspirational posters and gym equipment strategically placed so the occasional guest could be comfortably accommodated.

Tenten marched off to the kitchen to search for their elusive teammate. Neji turned to the bedroom. He pushed open the door and frowned as he found an empty room. The bed was made. The clothes he had left were put away. The window was still locked. Neji walked to the closet and opened it. There was a set of kimonos for various occasions, a few boxes containing who knows what and various textbooks from the Academy Lee had no need for.

Neji peered over to the dresser. It was littered with photographs in frames the entire team had painted on one of their rare days off. Between photos of Tenten making a face at the camera and an odd angle of Gai-sensei's Nice Guy pose was a sheet of notebook paper neatly folded into thirds. He picked it up.

_Gai-sensei_

Neji's eyebrow arched. He unfolded the letter.

_Dear Gai-sensei,_

_Forgive me for my sudden departure, but my reasons are sound, I assure you. I don't know when I'll return or if I will, but all I ask is that you don't attempt to pursue me. There is nothing you can do. I'm sorry I didn't have time to say goodbye to you or my teammates, but I know you'll understand._

_Love,_

_Rock Lee_

Neji stared at the letter. His mouth had fallen open sometime in the second line. Then, he clenched his teeth hard and snapped around, darting out of the room.

"Hey, did y'f- _Hey!"_

Neji grabbed Tenten's wrist as he passed her, whirling her around and dragging her to the door.

"Neji! What's going on?!"

"We're going to the Hokage. Lee's been abducted."

_"What?!_"

"Just run."

She did. By the time they reached the Hokage's tower, they skidded to a halt in front of the two astounded secretary ninjas working the desk.

"Er… how can I help you?"

"We need to see the Hokage-"

"-And now!" Tenten interrupted sharply. "Our teammate's been kidnapped!"

The two ninja's eyes went wide and they exchanged glances. "Another?"

"What do you mean 'another'?" Tenten cried. "There are _more?_"

"Yeah. Two of them. One of the Inuzuka's kids and… someone else…"

"One of Kakashi's genin. I think it was that blonde kid."

Now Neji and Tenten exchanged glances. Both of them knew this was getting bad. The two ninjas sent them up on assumption that the Hokage was probably expecting them, and he was, along with Tsume Inuzuka and Sakura Haruno.

Sakura's eyes filled with tears as she saw them enter. "Oh no! Lee-san! Hokage-sama, they've got Lee-san, too!"

The Third's eyes went from her to the team that had just arrived. "Neji. Tenten."

Neji took the note out of his pocket and handed it to the Hokage. "It's not Lee's handwriting."

The Hokage sighed and set it aside with two other sheets of folded paper. He leaned forward and put his elbows on the table. "This is a grave situation.

"Grave?! This is ridiculous!" snapped Tsume viciously. "My son was just a genin! He hasn't had time to make enemies!

"Tsume-san, this is unprecedented," Sakura pointed out quietly, sniffing and wiping her eyes. "Three genin, unrelated to each other except by age and gender? All taken on one night with no trace of where or why they were taken? It's never happen before! Right?"

The Hokage frowned and closed his eyes. "There was a similar case, but the ninja were female chuunin in various age ranges. I doubt this is the same person. Tsume-san, has your clan gotten any information?"

Tsume looked away angrily. "Nothing. Akamaru was taken out too fast. He saw nothing. Kiba's quarters were scentless. There was nothing we could have gone off on."

"Unfortunate…" The Hokage took another look at the letters on his desk. "Then, I suppose we wait for a lead-"

"_Wait?!_" Tsume slammed her hands down on the Hokage's desk, roaring, "I will not _wait!_ My son has been kidnapped! There is no telling what they have planned for him. We have no time to wait!"

"Then what will we do, Tsume? Many people go in and out of our gates. There are no signs of the kidnapping. No fingerprints, no footprints, no blood, no sign of struggle. No one saw it occur and no one noticed the missing ninjas' absence until now. No one can identify the kidnappers, much less tell us when they left the village and in what direction."

Tsume's face twisted in bitter anger.

"We can do nothing but wait for a lead."

Tsume snarled and turned away. Neji could see just enough of her face to see the tears in the corners of her eyes, tears of a frustrated mother without a son. The Hokage looked from her to Sakura to the remainder of Team Gai.

"We will wait."

The words struck like lightning. Sakura sniffed and tried to wipe her eyes, but her tears came too fast for her to catch. Tenten turned to Neji. Her eyes were shimmering and her voice was shaky as she said, "We have to tell Gai-sensei."

Neji averted his gaze. "This is going to kill him."


	4. David

Rock Lee was concerned, at best.

He was in the back of a wagon, gagged and tied with unnaturally strong ropes. He knew from the minute he woke up and found that his drugged bandanna had been replaced by a more suitable cleave gag that they were approaching their destination.

The pure anticipation was killing him without an assault of unanswered questions.

Where was he going? Why did they want him? Why were Kiba and Naruto here? What was in store for them? Who were his captors? Where were they from? Who were they working for? Was he ever going to be able to return to Konoha? Would he see Gai-sensei again? Tenten? Neji-san?

Yes. Lee was miserable and his curiosity did him no favors.

The bumping and rattling stopped.

He exchanged glances with Naruto and Kiba. Then, the black-clad face and white eyes of their captor appeared at the end of the wagon. The strong ropes prevented him from putting up a good fight when a huge, vice-like hand seized the back of his suit and dragged him out of the wagon. He was thrown almost casually over a brawny shoulder. He looked up and got the first look at where he had been taken.

He was no longer hidden among the trees he was so familiar with. He had been taken into the flat lands that lay beyond Konoha. There were a few lonely trees on the flat grass and dirt, but they were sickly and nothing like the wonderful, fine-aged trees back home. His eyes traveled to the side slightly. The failing sunlight was hitting what looked like a small shop. But, on the window, there was a big, obvious 'Closed' sign.

He looked over and saw more of the black-clad ninjas, half a dozen at maximum. One already had an angry Naruto struggling uselessly over his shoulder. Another was pulling a resisting Kiba from the wagon. But, that was it. It simply pulled and pulled until Kiba was yanked out of the wagon. He was promptly thrown over one shoulder and wordlessly, the black-clad ninjas morphed towards the shop. They simply opened the door and marched in. There was no lock. No traps. No alarms.

But, there was a man sitting quietly behind a table reading a bright red book. He looked up as the ninja walked in. He regarded the captive Konoha genin with a mere raise of the eyebrow. He reached over and lightly punched a green button.

A door swung wide open from one of the sets of shelves. The black-clad ninja filed in without another word. Lee looked back at Rokotsu and swore the man was shaking his head.

They entered what looked like a club. Nice enough, it was completely empty. They entered down a gently sloping ramp and walked forward. The carpet was soft looking and such a dark purple it was almost black, a shade darker then the walls and ceiling, which bore crystal chandeliers. There were booths on one wall, featuring plush seats and fine oak tables. Many tables were scattered across the room, their chairs large enough to lounge comfortably in for quite some time. On the wall far from them, there was a bar with bottles in every color of the rainbow. However, on the other wall, there were more booths surrounding two catwalk style stages, which connected to a single larger one between them.

But, before Lee had a chance to examine the room thoroughly, they had crossed the room and passed between another pair of doors hidden easily in the dark wall. Beyond them, there was a short hallway and a man standing guard in front of a fine oak door. He wordlessly knocked and opened the door for the ninjas, who filed in equally silent.

He felt his ninja grab the neck of his suit and pull him off its shoulder. Lee winced at the ache in his ribs. He felt his feet touch the ground and tried to ease his weight onto them, but a firm push forward sent him to his knees. He began to look around to see where he was, but the black-clad ninja behind him allowed no such thing. His silky hand seized the back of Lee's neck in a familiar padded vice and forced his head down again. Two soft _thuds_ showed Naruto and Kiba's arrival.

"Nice to see you again, gentlemen. What have you brought me?"

"Three genin from Konoha, Village Hidden in the Leaves." The voice was hissing and soft, like dead leaves against concrete.

"Konoha? Really," There was a chuckle. "I'm surprised you made it out of there. Those ninja are no push-overs."

One of the black-clad ninja scoffed. "Nothing but old rumors. We met no resistance."

"Getting soft in their years of peace," commented another ninja.

There was a murmur of agreement.

The new voice chuckled slightly. "Perhaps. You're reports."

There was the shuffling of paper and one of the ninjas stepped forward, handing three manila folders over. There was a long period of silence except for the occasional flipping of a page. Then, the light thump of a set of papers hitting a desk announced the man was finished. "I see. So, twelve, twelve and thirteen. You certainly aimed low this time."

"We tried."

"But, there's something on the last few lines I want to check out," There was the pushing back of a chair and light footsteps across the room. Suddenly, a pair of shiny leather shoes appeared in Lee's vision. Then, a knee in a fine suit touched the ground and a calloused hand gripped him gently under the neck. His head was pushed back far enough so that Lee couldn't see his captor. The zipper of his suit was pulled down to expose his new collar.

"I see… a virgin slave… a _young_ virgin slave. Almost an oxymoron. Well, we can't have that," The hand slid off his neck and the man moved behind him. He touched the back of Lee's collar.

Lee threw his elbow backwards, jerking his other arm with it and straining the shoulder muscles. Bone met bone with a resounding _crack!_

Silence.

Then, the man laughed.

It was loud and full-bodied, very much like Gai-sensei's. Lee turned around and half-expected to see a familiar bowl cut and bushy eyebrows, but instead, he got a sight that he hadn't expected.

The man kneeled behind him was _very_ handsome. His skin was tanned and beautifully accented the sandy hair tied back in a loose ponytail. His face was lined with wrinkles. He had to be a couple of decades older then Lee was, at least. A deep scar ran down the left side of his face from his temple to the corner of his mouth. When his eyes opened from his laughter, Lee saw that they were an unusual, icy blue. His gaze was coupled with a wide grin.

"Feisty, aren't we, love? But, watch," He hooked his fingers under Lee's collar and pulled. It offered a little resistance before a hidden latch snapped open with a click. "You had a very thoughtful master."

Lee turned and glared at him with an uncharacteristic anger. But, he soon found his eyes trained back on the ground as the footsteps walked in front of him again.

"So? What's the plan?" asked one of the ninjas. "Are you them or are we going to kill them?"

The flatness in his voice told the stories of many inadequate ninjas that escaped the blonde man's clutches in the embrace of death.

"I think they'll be nice additions to my collection. They're fit, attractive and young. Very young, actually. But, there's the matter of their techniques."

There was an eerie silence. Then, Lee felt someone hook an arm around his chest and slam curved fingers into his stomach. The air rushed from his lungs as a burning sensation exploded in his abdomen and rushed through the rest of his body, as if his blood had been injected with boiling water. He was released and he fell forward. His forehead was nearly touching the carpet beneath him. It took what seemed like an eternity for the burn to subside, leaving him feeling weak and defenseless.

He was panting hard, trying to catch his breath. He heard Naruto and Kiba gasping for air as well. He looked up slightly. The blonde man was standing in front of him, looking down almost… interestedly. Lee just glared at him briefly before he lost the strength to keep his head up.

"That just about does it for your time here, gentlemen," said the blonde man, stepping back behind his desk. He pressed a button twice and sat back against his chair. "Your payment is waiting with Rokotsu. I await your next batch eagerly after your recent choices."

One of the black-clad ninjas chuckled darkly. "Let's hope on snaring as easy _next_ time."

Without further goodbyes, the black-clad ninjas filed out of the room and shut the door behind them. There was silence except for the harsh breathing of the defeated Konoha genin. Lee forced his eyes upward again and found that once again his blonde captor was staring at him, an almost amused smile twisting his lips. Lee glared daggers at him. It only increased that conceited smile.

Then, the door opened again. Lee turned around, his tired muscles protesting the sudden movement. His eyes were met with two _very_ attractive females. Each one was as pretty as the other, their long hair running in different shades down their nicely curved backs. However, something was odd about them. Whether it was the thick leather around their necks or the identical expressions on their faces, Lee couldn't tell.

"Akina, Akiyo," said the blonde man, standing up and walking forward. Each of the women looked up slightly at their given name. "Take these two to get washed up from their trip. I will attend to the other."

The reply was a single chorus of, "Yes, Master David."

So that was his name. David.

After a few moments, Lee felt the women's presence, as well as Naruto and Kiba's, fade from the room following the click of the door.

David prowled around the bound genin carefully, as if estimating where he could safely strike. Lee watched him from the corner of his eye, feigning that he was still winded. It took about five minutes of steady circling before David dared to untie the bonds on Lee's ankles. The temptation to slam a foot into the man's ribs was almost too great, but Lee had to be patient.

It was when David dared to release his hands that his patience was rewarded.

He lashed out like a snake, missing the man by mere inches. David stepped back a considerable distance, raising an eyebrow at him.

Rock Lee took four shaky steps backwards as well, steadying himself on unused legs. He noted how David favored his right leg and made to aim to that side. He darted forward, drew back one fist and struck with deadly intentions. David threw one hand out and stopped it. Lee winced as he dug his nails in. He jerked back, preparing another strike.

"This is pointless."

Lee paused. He lowered his striking arm slightly and stepped back, out of David's range. He raised a heavy eyebrow in inquiry.

David smiled benignly. "You're sealed, love."

"I do not need chakra to fight."

"Ah. A taijutsu specialist. Yes, I've seen your kind," He sidestepped another strike and grabbed Lee's arm as it swept past him. He twisted it behind him an uncanny ease and pinned his other arm to his side by the wrist. Lee's breath hissed between his teeth as his arm was forced high on his back. "In fact… back in my younger years, I focused on taijutsu myself."

Lee aimed a kick at David's shins, but once again, he found his body responding slowly. David pinned his foot easily with his own so that he couldn't put weight on it. Lee clenched his teeth and glared at David over his shoulder.

"Now, love, since that _that's _out of your system, perhaps you'll listen."

Lee's anger flared dangerously, but his breath hissed between his teeth as his arm was forced high up on his back. "My name is not love," Lee gasped, making a last effort to pull his arm free.

"Then, pray tell, who are you?"

"I am the beautiful green beast of Konoha. My name is Rock Lee!"

"Really… I can't say disagree with you," David shifted his grip on Lee's wrists. "Well, Lee-kun, I might as well say what I have to say while you're in this… compromising position.

"That seal is not only for chakra, Lee-kun," started David, lightly running his nail over Lee's fingers. Lee's hands curled into fists, his own nails biting into the flesh. "I have seen ninjas like you before. Ninjas who focus on the physical aspects of ninjutsu instead of in magic and trickery. This seal is designed to enhance your brain's control on how much of your muscles' power you use, making your strikes weaker and slower. Kind of like… a ninth gate, if you will."

David's fingers flexed, as if judging how much power could be put into a well-placed strike. "This is a vital step towards full submission, Lee-kun."

"I will not submit."

"Of course you say that. Every time I enlist a new slave, it's the same thing, love. But, they end up submitting, one way or another. Either by free will or by conditioning."

"Conditioning?"

"A family technique. It's much more effective then my Inert Warrior Seal."

"What kind of torture is this 'conditioning'?"

"Torture?" David sounded appalled. "Conditioning is no torture. The very idea! Conditioning is… well, reforming at a mental level. Just removing and replacing a few things."

"What?"

"I just remove things, like defiance, and replace them with something better, like creativity."

"That… that is… t-th… you cannot do that!"

"I can and I have. Many times. But, only when my hand is forced," David chuckled and shook his head. "But, if I wanted submissive in the first place I wouldn't have enlisted only previous shinobi as my slaves."

"There is no previous! I am still a shinobi!"

"Lee-kun, understand your position."

"I understand perfectly! Your threats do not frighten me!"

David sighed, rolling his eyes towards the ceiling in exasperation. He forcefully pushed Lee forward and swept his feet out from under him. Lee yelped involuntarily as he hit the floor. Instinctively, he began to right himself, but before he could so much as get his hands on the floor, David had his arms pinned down with his knees. Lee tried to free himself, but David was heavy and with the seal firmly in place, he couldn't get him off. He looked up to glare at David, but his eyes widened as he saw the blonde man's hands flashing from hand seal to hand seal in a rapid, practiced movement.

"What are you doi-"

David suddenly forcefully put two fingers at both of Lee's temples. Lee blinked only once before his entire body stiffened. He felt it. He felt the lines of chakra in his consciousness, searching and probing like a living creature.

He wanted to fight back, to kick David off him, to do _something_. But, nothing was responding. He was sure he wasn't even _breathing_ on his own. He could only lay there, trapped like a moth on display. His wide eyes were focused on those unnatural blue eyes, unable to break away from the unblinking gaze. He felt the chakra find something, something it liked. He wanted to wince as it began to dissolve it. He wanted to scream, bite, kick… anything to break his concentration. Anything to banish that chakra. Anything to keep it from gnawing at… whatever it had. But, nothing happened.

Then, the chakra suddenly disappeared and feeling abruptly fell back into Lee's limbs as if it had been held above them the entire time. He knew this because as soon as it came back he started shaking. Even though a voice in his head screamed that now was his chance, he didn't strike. Even he had enough common sense to know that he had no chance. With the seal in place, Lee couldn't defeat David. Unable to defeat David, rebellion would prove worthless. Rebellion would lead to…

Lee's mouth went dry.

David got up slowly, as if he had arthritis. "That was nothing, though it will make you… easier to work with," He extended a hand to the dumbfounded Lee. "Come on. Get up. Your friends have probably already been taken to their quarters."

But, Lee didn't move from his position on the ground. The words weren't processing in his mind. Even the instinct to blink wasn't going through. His mental functions screeched to a halt and a huge train wreck of broken and unfinished thoughts scattered across the planes of his head. His brain, moving as slow as cold honey, finally managed to process a single emotion and designate a name to it…

Then, the natural results that followed it exploded as if forced through a tiny gap. His heart slammed against his chest and every nerve in his body was set alight with messages. His limbs trembled and his restricted muscles tensed to a dangerous level.

"Lee-kun."

Lee's breath stopped in his throat. His wide eyes once again met those unnatural, frighteningly light blue eyes. For a moment, it seemed like not even lightning could break the tension running between them. That's when the fear forced his mind to process another bitter reality at him one step at a time.

If he was to escape, he had to have a plan.

If he were to have a plan, he was going to need the desire to resist.

If he was to have the resistance he needed, he couldn't afford this 'conditioning'.

If he was to avoid conditioning, he had to comply whether he liked it or not.

David moved his fingers a little, beckoning Lee to grab them. Lee forced his fingers to wrap around David's palm.

--

Naruto kicked at the bars of his cell with a stubborn persistence. The sole of his foot was killing him from striking the metal repeatedly, but it was having little to no effect. The dull ringing it created was burning into his mind and annoying him even further.

"Oi, Naruto! Give it a rest! It ain't breakin'!"

Naruto glared over his shoulder at his captured companion. "Damn it, Kiba! Why aren't you _doing_ something?"

"Like what?" snapped the Inuzuka tiredly. He yawned widely. "We ain't got no way of escapin'. Even bushy brow's taijutsu wouldn't break these bars, much less your puny strength! Face it. Without our chakra, we're stuck here."

Naruto gave the bars one final kick with a rough cry of frustration. He then crawled up onto the bed to sulk. He grabbed the soft blanket and pulled it around him. Anything to ward off the curious glances of the other male slaves in the cells around him. There were no walls between them. Just bars and air separating him and the other former ninjas. Literally. Naruto remembered his clothes being beside his bath one minute and gone the next. And after he had gotten to be such close friends with Akina too!

"Ah, stop poutin', idiot. You ain't got much to worry about right now," Kiba offered sarcastically. He obviously wasn't fazed about his lack of clothing. He was spread out on his mattress like he was king of the world. He scratched behind his ear with a yawn. "You should be more concerned for that David guy then yourself."

Naruto's hands clenched into fists. "Why should I give a damn about him?"

"He's alone with bushy brow, that's why! He maybe an uncool dork, but at least he's gotta chance to surprise him with damn good taijutsu!"

"You shouldn't speak like that."

Naruto glanced over his shoulder. The slave in the cell in front of him was staring at him quietly. "What's your problem?"

The brown-haired man quailed timidly away from Naruto's accusing eyes. "You should not wish that on Master David."

"And why the hell not!" snapped Kiba. "He ain't our master!"

The man frowned. "Master David is not an evil man. If you had been here a few years ago, you would understand."

"Ha!" scoffed Naruto, rolling his eyes. "Come on. Grow a pair, will you?"

The brown-haired man shook his head. Naruto frowned as the man turned over on his bed and went back to sleep. He looked between the bars at Kiba. He twirled a finger next to his head.

Silence passed between them for a moment. Then, the clicking of a lock and the quiet squeak of a door being opened pulled them from their thoughts. They glanced down the dimly lit hallway to see a bar of light where the only entrance had been opened. Two figures stepped in front of the light and walked in. Naruto and Kiba felt fear rising up in their throats as they recognized a familiar bowl cut and heavy eyebrows on the figure trailing behind one of the same guards that had brought them into the quarters.

Their voices were caught in their throats as the guard met no resistance in locking the taijutsu ninja up in the cell next to Naruto's. It was long after the entrance to the cells had been locked tight and the guard's footsteps died away that Kiba dared to speak.

"Lee?"

Rock Lee didn't say anything. He merely took a few steps forward and sat down on his bed. He set his elbows down on his thighs and buried his face in his hands.

Silence.

Naruto and Kiba exchanged worried glances. Kiba jerked his head towards Lee, giving his blonde companion the 'well, do something' look. Naruto tossed his blanket aside and crawled to the edge of his bed. He reached between the bars and, with a little stretching, managed to just touch his fingertips to Lee's shoulder.

Lee jumped as if someone had stabbed him with a needle. Naruto jerked his hand back. Lee stared at him for a moment, as if trying to remember who he was. Then, his gaze fell once again.

"I am sorry, Naruto-kun."

"'ey, don't sweat it, bushy brow," he offered. "This place would make anyone jumpy. Did y'get him? "

"I… I could not defeat him."

"Oh…" Naruto scratched his cheek, trying to find something to say that would ease his friend's worries. "Well… er…"

"It ain't like we did any better, Lee," Kiba said, saving Naruto's poor excuse for consolation. "This guy had this thing all planned out. It ain't like any of us stood much of a chance against those damn ninjas."

"But, ain't you supposed to be like… the best at taijutsu?"

Kiba wished he could just kick Naruto, but he was too far away.

Lee frowned. "Yes."

"Then what happened? Why didn't you kick his ass?"

Lee was quiet for a moment. "All my techniques are useless."

"What!" cried Naruto, louder then he meant it to be. "How the hell is that possible?"

Lee explained what David had told him and what he said shocked them into silence. Once his voice trailed off, Kiba took up the conversation. "So… this is an all around ninja-killer seal?"

"Yes."

"But… but, there has to be a way…"

"No, Naruto-kun. Even if there was a way I could break this seal, I would not dare to try."

"Why? I'd kill to be rid of this damn thing!" snapped Kiba, poking the small blue marking on his stomach. "I feel so… naked without my chakra!"

"Like you wouldn't anyway," scoffed Naruto.

Lee related the topic of conditioning to the two. It obviously shook them, as their faces got pale and several glances were exchanged. When he once again fell silent, Kiba took up the conversation once again. "That ain't possible."

"He does not make idle threats. This… conditioning is a powerful technique."

Naruto looked back at the brown-haired slave in the cell in front of him. "It would explain things…"

"So what do you say we do then, bushy brow? Just sit back and take it?"

"Yes. I do not like it either, but we do not have much of a choice. If we are to escape, we must not do anything that could end in this conditioning. Even if we returned to Konoha afterwards, I doubt it would be the same."

"Goddamn it, you're right," snapped Naruto angrily. He crossed his arms and sat back against the wall behind him. "So, that's it, then? We just submit to fate?"

"Until we have a plan."

Kiba growled and flopped down on his bed. "Well, you got one thing right, bushy brow. I don't like it, but a guy's gotta do what a guy's gotta do."


	5. Illusions

"Where are we going?"

Jiraiya looked back at his small group. A team of genin to trail behind him on his search. He frowned at the speaker. "Where do you think we're going?"

Sasuke frowned back. "This road leads to nowhere. It never lead anywhere. It's just a path that's been beaten by lost travelers to skirt the forest."

"You can't take a cart through the forest."

"_No. _Really?"

"Look," Jiraiya pointed down at two faint marks in the soil. "Yeah, it is used by many people just to get around the forest, but as you can see, there are more uses. This is the only other road out of Konoha besides the main road. You may not think so, since you can leave in any direction on foot, but these people had cargo that they couldn't risk damaging on a hazardous trip through the forest and wouldn't dare risk getting caught with on the main road."

"That is true," commented Shino, gently stroking Akamaru's head. He walked up to Jiraiya and examined the ruts. "But, the ruts should be deeper, if they had been carrying as much weight as they had."

"What do you mean?"

"They must be carrying supplies in that cart as well, if they keep their prisoners fed and hydrated. Three teenagers alone are enough to leave fairly deep marks. But, one of them is carrying eighty extra pounds on him."

"More then that," corrected Neji. "Lee's put on more weight since the exams."

"Lee's fat?"

"No," snapped Neji. "Lee's got this training plan where he wears weights around his ankles _all _the time. He doesn't take them off except to get in bed and shower. And Shino's right. These grooves should be deeper if they were carrying that much weight, especially so unevenly."

"If it's just weights he _wears_, they probably got rid of them."

"Got rid of them?"

"Of course. They probably figured the same as you two did. Why leave an easy trail when it can be avoided? The weights are probably hidden around here somewhere if someone hasn't already come across them."

"At least if we found 'em, we'd know we're on the right path," murmured Sasuke bitterly.

"Are you always so negative?" asked Jiraiya childishly.

While Jiraiya and Sasuke battled what could be considered the dumbest fight ever fought, the other two busied themselves looking for the weights, Neji with his Byakugan, Shino with Akamaru.

Neji's pale eyes scanned the area quietly, looking in trees and in tall grasses. Anywhere capable of concealing over eighty pounds in dead weight. A rabbit… a dove couple… a broken branch… but no weights here.

Then, the sound of Akamaru's triumphant barking grasped Neji's attention. He turned around to see the dog standing neither over nor next to anything. He was just standing there, wagging his tail and panting like he had just discovered gold. Shino stared down at him as well. There was silence except for Sasuke and Jiraiya's pointless argument about how disagreeable Sasuke was.

"They buried them."

_"Really?"_

Neji frowned. He glanced down at Akamaru who was now sniffing the ground hurriedly. "What's he doing?"

"I don't know. I'm not Kiba."

Suddenly, dirt went flying as Akamaru began digging for the weights. Shino calmly stepped out of the path of the dirt. After an inch and a half of digging, Akamaru yipped triumphantly and tried to pull the weights from the ground. But, the canine was too small.

Neji sighed, bending down and picking up the now brown weights. He could feel immediately they hadn't removed a single weight before burying them. That would make Lee feel much better.

Jiraiya finally pulled out of the fight with a childish 'I-Can't-Hear-You-La-La-La' and came over to inspect what his more agreeable charges had found. He examined the dirty weights. "So, we are on the right path."

--

"We can't go any further tonight!"

"Bullshit! We'll _never_ catch up to them if we _stop!"_

Neji sighed and tuned out Jiraiya and Sasuke's argument. The two had been at each other's throats since the mission had started. Jiraiya, despite being the adult of the group _and_ one of the legendary Sannin, was acting childish and throwing insults at Sasuke almost like… Naruto would!

"They are vexing."

Neji looked up and saw Shino staring at him with that blank face. He offered little more then a grunt in response as they put up the tent without Sasuke and Jiraiya's help.

"But, I suppose one can't feel angry at Sasuke," continued Shino, more to Neji then himself. He pushed Akamaru off the tent for the fifth time. "Without Naruto to argue with, he must not know what to do with himself."

"Hn." Neji threaded the pole through the top of the tent before attaching another to it. With one collaborative push up, the two poles on the ends of the tent were jammed into the ground, completing the set up of the tent.

Silence passed between Neji and Shino besides the heated arguing of Sasuke and Jiraiya.

"I will have you know that I know _exactly_ where we're going!"

"Oh yeah? Well, then why do you insist we stop? Why have those ninjas that you have been 'tracking' for so long always shaken you off? Eh? Answer that!"

"I insist we stop because if those ninjas, that I _have_ been tracking, have dropped off your pals, then they'll be heading down this road again, most likely by the cover of darkness. If we are caught on the road when they pass by, they'll get suspicious and probably follow us. Then, they'd find out we were onto their business and probably attempt to 'silence' us. Besides, if we get into a fight in the middle of the night with a moon like this, we'd lose for sure!" To emphasize his point, Jiraiya pointed upwards at the waning moon.

"Well, look here at the legendary Sannin! Afraid of a little under darkness fighting!"

"You little bastard-"

Neji put his fingers to his temples and pressed as hard as he could with a shuddering sigh. "How did I get stuck here?"

"The Hokage assigned us based on the skills that would best counter our enemies. Your Byakugan, my kikaichu and Sasuke's sharingan are all excellent defenses against genjutsu, our opponent's strengths."

_"Thanks."_

"You asked."

Neji sighed roughly and glared at Sasuke and Jiraiya, who were now poking each other. "Shino, I'm going to go find some peace."

"Don't go too far."

"I won't find any if I don't," Neji commented to himself as he stood up and walked off into the flattening landscape. It was a good five minutes before the obnoxious fighting of Jiraiya and Sasuke faded to a dull squabbling. He sucked in a deep breath and let it out. He found himself a secluded rock and sat down on it.

_Might as well get in some inner peace, since I can't seem to find any outer…_ he thought, twisting himself up into Lotus position. He set his hands on his thighs, palms up and started a calming mantra. Soon enough, the sounds of his chanting filled up his mind and blurred his thoughts so he became pleasantly numb inside.

_Do I have to 'ohm'?_

Neji's eyes snapped open and he looked behind him. No one. He blinked in confusion before turning back to his mediation. But, his peace wouldn't return. The memory of his first mediation accompanied by Rock Lee was enough to break all concentration he had had and any concentration he had hoped to have.

He slammed his head roughly into his hands and cursed loudly. How ridiculous, missing someone this bad.

It had never been a problem back when Lee had just been another teammate and another rival. It had always been 'Neji, my eternal rival' this and 'Neji my eternal rival' that. Neji had been fine with silently harboring both disdain and a bitter jealousy towards Lee. In fact, he had been fine until his condescension turned to fondness and his jealousy began turning to admiration.

Neji shivered a little and rubbed his arms slight. _I need to start wearing sleeves._

Neji could vividly remember how he had gone about expressing his feelings towards Lee. He had invited the odd boy to the balcony they had their first team meeting on and, as expected, Lee came without any suspicion. As soon as Lee got within range, Neji had grabbed him, kissed him roughly and then pushed him down the stairs he had come up. Amazingly, rather then have broken his neck like a normal person, Lee got up after reaching the bottom, climbed _back_ up the stairs and then asked somewhat dazedly what Neji's big problem was.

Neji sighed and looked up at the waning moon. He frowned at the silvery crest in the sky. It had been an awkward conversation, at best, but Neji had started a trend of blushing in his boyfriend. From that moment, they began having a quiet 'affair-like' relationship, as Lee had called it. They had decided on that balcony that it was for the best. After all, they wanted to be sure about it before freaking out the entire Hyuuga clan and worse, Gai-sensei. Neji reached up and ran a hand through his hair.

He guessed missing the stupid idiot wasn't so ridiculous, after all.

A huge explosion from the sight of his camp made him whirl around. White smoke curled up into the dark sky. _Damn!_

Neji leapt from the rock and ran back to camp. He skidded to a halt. His mouth fell open and the kunai he had drawn slipped from his hand.

A huge _toad_ was sitting just inches away from the tent and it had two legs furiously kicking in its mouth.

"Ha_ha_!" Jiraiya cried triumphantly, pointing and laughing childishly. "Maybe that'll teach you to be a little more respective of your elders!"

Sasuke screamed something from inside the toad's mouth that sounded like a bunch of obscenities simply strung together into something that resembled a sentence.

Neji's slammed his palm to his forehead as if he wanted to knock himself out, and somewhere inside, he did. He turned to Shino, who was regarding the situation as regarded everything. He didn't.

"I'm going to bed."

"That is not wise, Neji. You need to eat."

"The sight of a giant toad eating Sasuke has killed any hopes I have of ever wanting to eat again."

"Very well. Sleep well, Neji."

Neji gave him a wave in response as he disappeared into the tent. He found his sleep roll and lightly kicked it open. With a few fluid movements, he eased himself into it and simply stared at the side of the tent. Sasuke and Jiraiya had made a reluctant truce as Shino began pulling things out for cooking. Neji decided to take advantage of the silence. With a few deep, meditative breaths, Neji eased his mind into a familiar numb state.

It took only minutes for him to fall into a restless slumber…

Neji's eyes fluttered open. He blinked at the bright sunlight streaming in through the open tent flap. Rubbing his sensitive eyes and squinting against the piercing light, he gave a long look around. The rest of his team was already up. Had he really slept that soundly? Why hadn't they woken him?

He sat up. "What is going o-"

"Neji-kun!"

Neji yelped as something threw itself at him like a pouncing animal. He slammed back against his sleeping bag with a loud grunt of pain. Through the stars dancing in front of his eyes, he could make out a severely out-of-date hair cut and a complete wardrobe melt down accenting two wide eyes and a painfully white smile.

Neji rubbed his eyes even harder then before. He looked back up, blinking wildly. "L-lee?!"

Rock Lee gave his head a little tilt and grinned in his usual perky way. "Good morning, Neji-kun!"

"Wh… wha? I thought you were… but, what about…" Neji grabbed the abdomen of Lee's spandex and threw him off. He sat up. "You… you're supposed to be a prisoner, Lee!"

Lee raised a heavy eyebrow at him. "What are you talking about?"

"You! You are supposed to be in the hands of some unknown captor right now! How the hell did you get here?"

"I… I walked… No, actually, I ran most the way. With Gai-sensei and Tenten and-"

"Gai-sensei? Tenten? When did they get here? Where are Shino and Sasuke? Hell, I'll settle for Jiraiya right now."

"Neji, I think that fall you took might have been more serious then we thought," Lee looked genuinely worried as he heaved himself up to his feet. "You wait here. I will go and get Gai-sensei."

"Hey! Get back here! What fall? Lee!" Neji made to leap after his unusual teammate before a splitting pain shot through his skull. The breath hissed through his teeth as he was forced to sit back down. One hand rushed to the source of pain, only to feel bandages and gauze. He blinked hard, feeling along the dressing. When did that get there?

"Ah, Neji! My youthful pupil!"

Neji stiffened. That voice. That voice that had drilled into the very depths of his sanity since he exited the Academy.

"G-gai-sensei?!"

Gai stepped into the tent with an odd, lanky stride. He barely avoided falling face first onto the other sleeping bags, but made a considerably good job of appearing to be sitting down.

"Neji! How are you feeling, my wonderful student? By the report of my precious Lee, you seem to think you aren't supposed to be where you actually are."

Neji stared at Gai for a moment while he sorted out what the hell he said. Then, he gave his teacher the best death-glare he could muster up with the throbbing in his head.

"It isn't that _I'm_ not supposed to be here! It's that _you_ aren't!" Neji turned and pointed an accusing finger at the tent flap. "And especially not you!"

Lee quailed a little at the fury in Neji's voice. Gai took a look between Neji and Lee before quickly waving his prize student away. In a rare display of 'taking a hint', Lee went bounding away, probably for some free time training.

Neji watched quietly as the tent flap fell still, concealing the inhabitants inside. His hand traveled slowly back up to rub the dressings on his head. "I don't understand…"

"Ah, don't worry about it, Neji!" Gai reached out and pulled Neji's hand away from the injury. "Just a concussion, no harm done really."

Neji frowned. "Was I unconscious?"

"No. You slept last night, after Lee brought you back. You were… disorientated, at worst. You obviously were having fairly insane dreams, Neji."

Neji's frown increased. "Dreams?"

"Yes. As you can see, Lee is most definitely _not_ in enemy clutches nor are you in the company of anyone other then Tenten, Lee and myself."

"Indeed," Neji peered over his sensei's shoulder at the sleeping bags. Two were green, the other pink. "When did Tenten get a new sleeping bag?"

"New sleeping bag?" Gai looked over his shoulder. "Oh… that?"

"Yes."

"Oh, she… just recently got it."

"I see. That's strange because it seems like the exact same one she had."

Gai faltered. Out of the corner of his eye, Neji thought he saw a shadow flicker across the wall of the tent. Then, Gai's face turned to a mask of pure horror.

"N-neji! What in the name of you-"

There was an awful crunching noise.

Neji's insides went unbearably cold as his sensei went limp. He swayed briefly before simply falling over. Neji's mouth fell open but no terror-stricken cry came out. He had never seen someone's neck bend at that angle, and judging by the small pieces of white stabbing through the back of Gai's neck, he hoped to never have to again.

"Neji? Gai-sensei? Are you alright in he-?"

Tenten froze, her body half-way into the tent. Her terrified expression flew from Gai's body to Neji and back a few times before her brain put two and two together.

_**"NEJI, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"**_

Neji panicked inside. "Tenten, it isn't-"

Tenten was suddenly jerked forward by an invisible specter on her wrist. There was the brief flash of cold steel. Her bloodcurdling scream was cut short as blood splattered the sleeping bags below her.

"N-no! Tenten!"

Neji couldn't believe he couldn't get his voice above a whisper. He stared in horror at the kunai lodged in his female teammate's throat. An uncontrollable shaking racked his body. He scrambled backwards into the wall of the tent, anything to get him away from his team's bodies.

_This isn't real. I know it isn't. This is not real!_

His blood ran cold as he realized Tenten's dying scream would attract the only person in the area.

Neji forced his nerveless body to skirt his friends the best he could. He stumbled out of the tent with a final glance back. He staggered to his feet and swayed uneasily. Nausea burned his throat and he felt unusually cold inside.

"Neji-kun!"

Neji looked up as Rock Lee, his final teammate, came bursting through the trees surrounding their camp. But, he stopped feet away from him. Then… he just stared.

"Lee?" Neji noticed Lee's eyes were not on his face. His eyes trailed downwards and he saw what Lee's stunned expression was for.

Blood.

Dotting his shirt, soaking his bandages, covering his hands.

Warm, dark, crimson blood.

"L-lee… It isn't what you think…"

"N-neji, what happened?" Lee's voice was trembling worse then Neji's.

"I don't know, Lee! Tenten. Gai-sensei. I di-"

"Gai-sensei?" Lee's eyes widened. "_GAI-SENSEI!"_

Neji grabbed at his teammate as he went rushing past him. He missed by a fraction of an inch. Lee threw the tent flap aside and froze in mid-stride. His face went completely blank. He fell limply to his knees. His entire body seemed to deflate, but his horrified eyes never left the bloody scene in front of him. Slowly, in a voice weak with shock and quiet with despair, he whispered:

"G-gai-sensei?"

Neji shook his head, trying to tell himself that there was no way this could be real. "L-lee-" He hesitantly kneeled down and reached out to put his hand on his mourning lover's shoulder.

And Lee screamed.

Neji jerked back in alarm, only to have Lee grab him and force him into a spine crushing hug. He made no effort to hide his misery, despite the ninja code drilled into his brain. He buried his face in Neji's bloody shirt, drying the tears that streamed down his cheeks with the crimson fabric.

"Why was I not here, Neji!" he wailed, pulling the Byakugan carrier even closer. "I could have helped you! Together we could have saved them! They did not have to go n- GH!"

Lee abruptly stopped sobbing. His grip slowly lessened and Neji could once again move. He shifted his body a bit to look at his lover. He gasped as there was a sharp pain in his chest. He put his hands on Lee's shoulders and pulled himself back.

The blood left his face.

Red splattered the length of shining metal.

"Lee!"

Lee was staring down at the blade expertly stabbed through his ribs. He looked… surprised. He looked up and gave Neji a quizzical look, as if he didn't understand what had just occurred. Then, his expression twisted into startled agony as the blade was torn out and he was roughly pushed forward. Neji grabbed him as he fell. He gasped his lover's name, shifting his body ever so slightly so he could look at him, just to see if he could be saved.

Blood was gushing from the wound in his chest, staining Neji's already crimson clothes. He could see that every breath hurt and the blade had been thrust perfectly into Lee's heart, which tried miserably to keep beating even if it only made the bleeding worse. Neji's hand rushed to the injury, futilely trying to staunch the flow.

Horrible, agonizing reality settled in. He shut his eyes tightly, his hand gripping the crimson-stained spandex below it. He knew this couldn't be real, but that didn't make the pain any more bearable. Lee was dying in his arms.

"Neji?"

Neji's eyes snapped open. "Lee-"

"Neji, I-"

Neji quickly shushed him. He wiped the blood off his hand on his shirt and gently brushed Lee's bangs out of his eyes. "Don't try to talk, Lee. You're… you're a mess…"

Lee coughed, blood misting the air. Immediately his face twisted in agony and one hand almost made it to his injury. The look in his eyes was of one who knew his life was measured in seconds. "It hurts."

"I know, I know…"

"Are you hurt?"

Neji stared at his dying companion. Was that all he could think of? "No… I'm fine."

Neji felt something twist in his chest, as if someone had driven a cold stake into it. Even as he clung to the very edge of life, Lee smiled.

Neji felt his body tense in his arms and then go limp as Rock Lee finally let go. Neji felt the strength almost leave him with a soft sigh. Lee was gone. He was dead.

"Touching."

Neji's head snapped up. The air wavered like a mirage. The colors twisted in on themselves, darkening to a midnight black and shaping into the rough shape of something human. Folds of material hung from the body, covering every inch of it except for the eyes. Those terrible, spine-chillingly pale eyes.

There was a rough hissing sound, like the scraping of sand paper over a rock. It took only a brief second for Neji to realize that this… thing was laughing at him.

"Poor, precious Lee. Poor, precious Lee," it sang mockingly. It leaned heavily upon a bloody sword. "Your attachment is heart-warming."

Neji's grip on his lover's body increased. "You…"

"Did you enjoy seeing them die, Neji-kun? I did," The black-clad ninja stood back up. The sword flickered back into the illusion. "It makes me want to see it again-"

"Shut up!" Neji roared, gently laying Lee's body down. He stepped around him and his hand went once again to his thigh. But, once again, the holster wasn't there.

"Weapon less, Neji-kun?" mocked the ninja. "What a shame."

Neji snarled. Every training session he put into his extensive ninja career vanished and was replaced by nothing but savage instinct. With a roar of absolute hatred, Neji lunged forward, hungry for the blood of the killer of his lover.

But, instead of pouncing on his prey, Neji was yanked backwards. He yelped as he hit something hard and solid. He struggled to get up, to attack, but his arms and legs felt as if they were bound by heavy rope.

The black-clad ninja _laughed at him._

"Valiant effort. But, it simply isn't enough," The black-clad ninja morphed soundlessly forward until it was mere inches away from Neji. "My power here is only limited by your imagination, Neji-kun. After all, your mind is just full of little miseries. It's a feast."

Its eyes danced with delight. "I'm in control here, and I say, let's watch that _again."_

Neji screamed as the hard surface behind him disappeared and he fell backwards into darkness. The light shrunk until it disappeared all together. He abruptly hit the ground. Then, he opened his eyes.

He blinked against the bright sunlight streaming into the tent. "Wh-what?"

"Neji-san!"


	6. Fear

Rock Lee was currently entertaining the idea of a semi-honorable suicide.  
Multiple times, he had cursed his inability to control his emotions. He had made pact upon pact with every divine force he could think of, promising that if he could only wake up from this nasty nightmare, he would enlist anyone he could find in getting rid of his emotions.

With his luck, the deities he was pleading with were probably laughing at him.  
He could barely think straight. Nothing seemed to process without a jarring of nerves or a terrifying thought erupting in the middle of it. His mind told him horror stories about the items on the walls, what tortures could be done to him and what mentally damaging methods could be carried out. Lee had never felt more vulnerable in his life.  
He was jerked from his thoughts as the door to the room slid opened. His eyes jerked up. His stomach twisted and dropped. So this was to be his first client. His first period.  
The door shut and his client stepped in, his silk robe hissing ominously against the wooden floor. Lee swallowed nervously and shrank back. His legs were threatening to give out on him as his client stopped in front of him. One pale hand grasped Lee's chin and held firmly, turning his head a few times, examining him. "David is no liar… you are very young. I'm guessing… twelve? Eleven, perhaps?"  
"Thirteen..."  
"Thirteen… and to think I was about to give up on David," He dropped his hand.

Lee watched his client quietly as he was inspected. He jumped and shuddered as sharp nails ran down his spine.

"So… untouched. Yes, yes, I'll enjoy having you," That hand traced his shoulder blades and ran along his collarbone. "Do you know my name, child?"

"Oroch…"

"Speak up, child."

Lee swallowed hard. "Orochimaru."

"Right, child," The man's hand twisted around and grabbed his neck, forcing his head back. His fingers tightened threateningly around Lee's windpipe. _"Master_ Orochimaru."

"Master Orochimaru."

"Better. Now," the man walked over to a display. He chose a set of various black leather items. Then, he glided over to a complicated lacquered frame. "Come here."

Lee took a few hesitant steps forward. Master Orochimaru grabbed his wrist and secured one of the cuffs with snaps. A second went around his left wrist. Lee took a glance at the new cuffs and what remained in his master's hand and immediately began backing away.

Master Orochimaru set the items in his hand down on chair close by, except for a long, thin rope. He seized Lee's wrist and jerked him forward hard enough to almost send him to the floor. He threaded the rope through the O-rings on the edges of Lee's right cuff. Lee attempted to pull his hand away. He ground his teeth in frustration, as he was once again overpowered.

Master Orochimaru pushed him hard against the frame, holding his wrist above his head. He grabbed Lee's other wrist and forced it up as well. Holding both hands with one, Master Orochimaru threaded the left cuff and then slid the same end through a ring mounted on the frame. He tied it off tightly, forcing Lee up on the balls of his feet.

"I see that you are terribly reluctant, child," he hissed, sliding away from Lee, who tried to keep his eyes on him. "That's unfortunate. But, I don't believe in 'no'."

Master Orochimaru came back with a two-foot long rod. He retrieved a few of his previous items and knelt. He snapped a pair of cuffs around Lee's ankles. Then, he slid the bar through another ring mounted near the base of the frame and used two snaps to attach it to Lee's cuffs. Lee struggled, but got nowhere. He ground his teeth until he could hear them scraping against each other.

Master Orochimaru frowned. "I see you are still squirming. No matter. It is easy enough to fix."

Lee could not keep the man in his sight as he once again left to retrieve items. He pulled harder against the ropes holding him. If only that cursed _seal_ was not there!

"You just can't sit still, can you, child?"

Lee jumped violently as a wide strap was pulled high around his neck, forcing his head back against the lacquered frame. Held firmly in place, Lee could only move his eyes to watch as his client work. A length of rope was wrapped around his arms, just below his elbows, to hold them against the frame. Another was wrapped high on chest, right below his arms, and a final rope around his waist, effectively trapping him.

"That's better," Master Orochimaru hissed, running a hand down Lee's stomach. "Now we can move on."

He reached up and set both hands on the sides of Lee's rib cage. He ran his thumbs in wide circles over Lee's nipples, teasing them to erection. Lee squirmed in his bonds. His cheeks burned.

Master Orochimaru let go and picked up a pair of complex clip mechanisms joined by a heavy steel chain. He swung them teasingly in front of Lee's wide eyes. "If you want to thrash around so badly, I will give you a reason to."

A frightened squeak involuntarily came from Lee's throat as Master Orochimaru attached the complicated clips to his nipples. He let out a small sigh when they only produced a gentle sensation.

"Don't relax yet, child. We aren't done," Master Orochimaru picked up the chain between his thumb and forefinger and pulled slowly outward.

At first, Lee could not tell what he was doing. Then, the pain began as the clips started tightening. His breathing grew ragged and eventually he started crying out in pain.

"This can be a very unpleasant night if you aren't careful, child," Master Orochimaru hissed quietly, pulling a little harder on the chain. "But, if you play nicely…"

Lee sighed hard as he released the chain and the clamps returned to their previous state. However, as he looked up to glare at his client, his stomach flipped over on itself and he felt as if he were going to be sick. Master Orochimaru slid his tongue out… and out… and dragged it slowly up Lee's body, sending shivers up his spine.

"…it will be worth it."

Master Orochimaru slid a hand across the side of Lee's neck, stroking his jaw line with his thumb. "So, what'll it be, child? Will you be good for me?"

Any other time, Lee would have spit venom, but the closeness of those cold eyes and the tight hold of the ropes had silenced him.

Master Orochimaru scoffed lightly. "Cat got your tongue, child? Alright then. If you will not speak, I will take away the privilege."

His hand slid down and retrieved the last of his items. It was a simple roll of duct tape. He pulled off a short strip and tore it off. He held Lee high on his neck and effectively taped his mouth shut.

"We'll see how talkative you are in a moment," Master Orochimaru smirked, pinching Lee's cheek cruelly. Then, he formed several hand seals and a burst of chakra wavered briefly in the air. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, a single snake slid from Master Orochimaru's sleeve and dropped to the floor, rearing up and hissing.

Lee jumped sharply as the serpent slithered towards him. He pulled back against the frame as far as he could, but the snake twisted around his ankle and began working its way up his leg. Unable to determine which he feared more, Lee attempted to keep one eye on both his client and the snake traveling up his body. He heard Master Orochimaru chuckle at him.

"Don't worry about Giji," he hissed gently. "She doesn't bite-"

The snake moved over the sensitive skin above Lee's hip, making him jump. She snapped around, her mouth wide open and her fangs extending.

"-unless you move."

Lee's stomach dropped so fast, he expected it to hit the floor. He watched the serpent anxiously as she relaxed and continued on her way, her tongue flickering across his skin. Her smooth scales seemed to run over all the sensitive spots as she slowly made her way upwards. Lee was fighting with himself to keep still.

Master Orochimaru had settled himself in a chair, watching with a pleased smirk as Lee trembled under his snake's touch. "I see you're a bit more willing to hold still with the right motivation."

Giji twisted around Lee's neck and her tongue brushed under his chin. He swallowed hard and she hissed angrily, making him wince violently. Giji struck, her fangs sinking into the soft skin on Lee's shoulder.

Even with the tape, Lee's sharp cry was plainly audible.

But, even as a minute ticked by, there was nothing. Not even the burn of poison.

Lee heard Master Orochimaru laughing at him again.

A pale hand twisted under Giji's long body, carefully pulling her fangs from the soft flesh. Drops of blood dripped from her mouth as Master Orochimaru ran a finger over her smooth head almost tenderly. But, his amber eyes were locked firmly on Lee. They were practically dancing with malicious delight.

"She isn't venomous, child. I am not fool enough to kill such a young, clean slave," He met Lee's eyes and his lips curled into a smirk. "That's a nasty glare you've got there, child. What's the matter? Didn't you think it was…"

Master Orochimaru slid a finger over Giji's mouth, rubbing shimmering red blood between his fingers.

"Amusing?"

Giji disappeared in a line of white smoke. Master Orochimaru closed his hand slowly.

The pain of the bite on his shoulder helped fuel the list of choice words Lee had for his client, but the tape in combination with the amount of power Master Orochimaru held over him kept him in a bitter silence. Even so, he could not remove the shamed anger in his eyes.

Master Orochimaru's smirk faded and his cold eyes narrowed. "You had best watch those eyes, child, lest I be forced to hurt you."

Lee gave him a last, angry glare before turning his eyes elsewhere.

Master Orochimaru scoffed bitterly. He grabbed the chain laying against Lee's chest. "Well, _child,_ it appears that we are having a _problem_ with your attitude. No matter, though. It can be _fixed."_

He stressed the threat with sharp pulls of the chain, tightening Lee's clamps to a point of agony. Lee writhed in his bonds, grinding his teeth and squeezing his eyes shut rather then give Master Orochimaru a reason to smirk again.

"If I cannot get you to willingly keep those eyes down, I will have to take _them_ away, as well."

The last thing Lee saw as he opened his eyes was a viciously pleased smirk and a shadow above his eyes. Then, his world was engulfed in black leather.

He was still gathering his bearings when he heard a whistling sound followed by a loud crack. His hips jumped forward from the impact of a cane upon his side. A moment later, he felt a line of pure fire run across his skin. Lee screamed. The pain only seemed to mount higher and higher. Just when he thought he could not take any more, the wave of pain crested and began to recede. His head fell forward and his jaw rested on his chest.

"I don't tolerate rebellion in my shinobi and I will _never_ tolerate it from a mere sex slave. If you were mine, I would have you _blinded._ Even if I can't make sure you'll never lift your defiant eyes again-"

Master Orochimaru delivered two fast blows. The first landed on Lee's right flank and the second on his left.

"-I can make you wish you hadn't!"

And he made no idle threat. Each sharp blow was landed with unreal precision. None overlapped or crossed any of the prior blows. Each was hard enough to cause great pain while none broke the skin or pushed him over the edge into unconsciousness. Instead he danced in his bonds as each expert blow came crashing down.

Lee endured the first dozen lashes as quietly as he could. He did not want to give any encouragement.

The second dozen had him crying out in pain with each blow. His full-throated screams of pain were muffled by the tape, but they still were clearly audible.

The third dozen left him drenched with sweat and hoarse. His entire world had been reduced to the sound of the cane cutting through the air, the crack as it struck his unprotected flesh and the waves of pain that washed over his body.

Then, Master Orochimaru slid his hand between his legs and gripped his shaft firmly. "Ready to start behaving, child?"

Lee squirmed under his client's almost tender touch. His skin was on fire and his legs ached from being so high on his feet. His muscles were tight and painful. He estimated about an hour and a half had passed. He was beyond ready to start listening, but stubbornly he refused to answer.

"Still being defiant, child?" Master Orochimaru gripped the chain again and pulled hard. He sighed with mock exasperation as Lee writhed and cried sharply. "I did not plan on spending my day teaching a new slave, child. I have plans to attend to, so allow me to put this simply for you. If you value your life, find some humility, _child,_ as my review determines if you live or die."

The threat was plain, but it was ominous enough to send cold shivers down Lee's spine. He did not doubt it either.

"So what'll it be, child? Ready to start behaving?"

Lee swallowed hard and nodded stiffly.

"That's better."

Light folded into Lee's eyes as the blindfold was removed. He blinked hard and tried to avoid seeing that nasty, smug smirk on his client's face. Then, he felt him grip the edge of the tape and ripped it viciously off. His legs barely held him as he was released and slid back down onto his heels. His tight muscles trembled under the new weight.

"Come, child."

The temptation to simply ignore him was unbearable, but Lee managed to step after his client on shaky legs. Even anger and humiliation could not take away the gnawing sensation of fear in his stomach. He knew what was coming. He had _always_ known.

Master Orochimaru halted in front of a roomy couch of bright purple, almost velvet-like couch. Lee's stomach sank as his client's hands went to the tie of his robe and undid it.

Then, Lee's stomach hit the floor and never came back up. His mouth went dry and the blood that had rushed to his cheeks had rapidly departed.

"Like what you see, child?"

Lee shook his head violently, taking a quick, shaking step backwards. He did not make it very far as his client grabbed his wrist and yanked him closer.

"Oh, come now, child. I can't have you running away just yet," Master Orochimaru twisted his wrist, forcing him closer. "All your nonsense has just delayed the inevitable. You still have something that belongs to me."

Lee desperately tried to struggle out of the strong grip. Master Orochimaru smirked. With sinister ease, he yanked Lee off balance and pushed him unceremoniously onto the couch. Lee scrambled to escape, but his client's hand snapped around his neck and pinned him to the fabric with frightening force. He gasped and thrashed under the pale fingers.

Master Orochimaru tightened his fingers threateningly, forcing him to be still. "There's no use in fighting with your fate, child. Just enjoy it."

Lee squirmed under his fingers, an irrational fear overpowering the fear of his Master. The man's eyes narrowed and his fingers tightened until Lee gagged, suddenly unable to breathe.

"I said be _still _or I will kill you _now._"

For a moment, there was silence. Nothing but the sounds of Lee's tiny, desperate gasps and the warm lustful breaths drawn by his Master. Then, as his head spun and his heart raced, Lee fell still. He gasped hard, sucking in air when his client released his throat. Then, those cold hands slid down his body down to his thighs and slowly curved inwards at his knees, pushing his legs apart.

He yelped and his hips jerked as something hot and wet brushed his entrance. The strong hands went back to his hips, grasping them tightly and lifting them. Then, his client's unnaturally long tongue began probing at the hole, forcing itself inside.

Lee whimpered softly, his hands grasping and twisting the fabric beneath them. His back arched, his heart slamming against his chest as the hot tongue pushed deep into him. Pain began lancing up his spine as Master Orochimaru's tongue withdrew almost completely before pushing in again, this time deeper and with more ease. A few more repetitions and the process became fluid, each push going deeper and deeper into his body.

Lee groaned as the tongue was pulled from his entrance and slowly dragged up his body, flicking across his collarbone. His eyes opened as Master Orochimaru snapped in front of his face.

"Look at me, child. I want to see your face."

Lee was still trying to process the words when agony tore through his body. He screamed violently as he was forcefully stretched beyond limit. He struggled in his client's grasp and his nails bit painfully into his hips. He heard his master hiss with pleasure as he fully sheathed himself inside of him. The pain was unimaginable. The tongue had been nothing. This was hell.

Tears sprang to his eyes and spilled down his cheeks as Master Orochimaru pulled himself almost completely out of him, pulling painfully on torn skin. Lee let out a guttered cry as Master Orochimaru pushed forcefully back into him. The pain was worse then initially.

At first, the thrusting was slow and rhythmic, gaining fluidity until the pain became a sharp throb. Then, it got faster, losing all rhythm in favor of wild instinct. The pain erupted again as the torn skin was abused by the quick, sharp thrusting.

Then, the grip on his hips suddenly grew tighter and Master Orochimaru hiss throatily, "Say my name, child."

"M… mas-"

"_Say it!_"

Lee shrieked as his client slammed forcefully into him, grabbing his sides and pushing him back against his groin in an attempt to get even deeper. Lee was unsure of the name even came off his lips as hot fluid slammed against his insides and burned against the torn skin.

And for what seemed like eternity, he and Master Orochimaru just sat there, both panting from exertion, but two very different sensations.

Then, he just left, dressing casually and leaving as if it were nothing.

Overwhelming relief paired with a physical and mental exhaustion took anything Lee had left in him. He fell into a semi-daze. For a moment, there was nothing except the sound of his harsh breathing. Then, three men rapidly entered the room and he felt hands against his body, pressing and rubbing in a practiced, skilled manner. Lee did not make a move to stop it. The hands were not hurting him, and when they did, it was not intentional. He was tired.

Lee could only hear parts of a hurriedly whispered conversation.

"… let him do this? You're out business if he killed… a choice… business partner for years… how it is… seems alright… bruises will be there … three days…Hey! Stay with m- damn it!"

------

Rock Lee turned on the water, feeling it splash down his sore body. He did not bother to manipulate the temperature as he looked around the tiled bath, which looked as if it could hold about fifty at a busy time of the day. Or night, seeing as that is when he would be 'working'. He was tired, but the worst of the pain was gone. He assumed that he had slept through a meeting with a former medical ninja.

He sighed roughly as he worked a lather up on a bar of soap. He had never expected something as instinctive as sex to be so thought consuming, or that… that…

Agonizing?

Mortifying?

Indescribable in itself?

Lee could not decide on a word for what he had just experienced as he worked the soap over his body. Nothing seemed to significantly describe the feeling of suddenly being completely defenseless, being unable to fight back, to be unable to defend the rights to the most intimate act imaginable.

Lee briefly considered wall-induced head trauma a good option for himself. He sighed, closing his eyes and letting the cool water finish the job. He tilted his head back a little and the water splashed over his ears, dulling out the rest of the world with a gentle roaring.

He yelped as a strong hand suddenly grabbed his ass.

He whirled around, one hand lashing out to smack the offender into next week. It hit only the tip of dark brown hair as his attacker dropped almost flat on the ground to avoid the expected retaliation.

"Kiba-kun!"

The Inuzuka gave him a toothy grin from his kneeled position on the tile. "What? Tryin' to kill me, bushy brow?"

"I have the right mind to slap you across the face, Kiba-kun."

"Ya nearly did! I'm lucky ya went for my face and not my manhood, eh?"

"Kiba-kun, I would never-"

"I'm just messin' with ya, bushy brow. Don't sweat it."

Lee rolled his eyes and offered his friend a hand. Kiba gave it a look before grinning at him. "Nah, I think I'll stay where I am. The views nice."

It took Lee a while to understand what Kiba was implying. Blood rushed to his face and he took another swipe at Kiba's head. Kiba dodged and stood up laughing, lightly punching Lee's shoulder. "I'm just playin' wit' y- _Oi!_ What th' hell happened t'ya?"

Lee looked down at his body, where dark bruises mapped lines across his front. He quickly turned back to his shower, ignoring Kiba's question.

Kiba was not to be ignored. He ran around in front of Lee, water splashing against his back as he asked, "What kind of trainin' did they have_ you_ in? It looks like someone just beat th' hell outta ya!"

"Training?"

"Yeah. Ain't that where y'were?"

"No-"

"They put y'right in service? No way! They said we had ta!"

"I am not sure what you are talking about, Kiba-kun."

"Trainin'! It's where me and Naruto have been all day. Wit' Keiko! I was wonderin' why y'weren't there!" Kiba frowned and shook water out of his eyes. "Y'think that they'd want _you _of all people t'go through it."

"Kiba-kun, I still do not know what you are talking about."

"Me 'n Naruto have been workin' with some other guy all day, and by workin', I mean we were pretty much havin' hot sex all day. He was showin' us techniques and givin' us basic ideas on things. I'll tell ya, gay sex's underrated… y'seriously weren't there?"

"No. But, where is Naruto-kun?"

Kiba scoffed. "Convinced Keiko he needed a bit more one-on-one time. The stupid bastard."

"Kiba-kun! Watch your language!"

"Why? Ain't like Kurenai-sensei's here."

"You are twelve, Kiba-kun! You should not even know those words at your age!"

"Shouldn't be fuckin' either."

_"Kiba-kun!"_

"Yeah, yeah, Lee…"

Lee sighed hard. "Have you gotten any ideas yet?"

"Nope," Kiba swiped his finger through a smear on his left shoulder and rubbed it between his fingers. "Got a little _distracted._"

"That is terrible, Kiba-kun."

"What? I did," Kiba licked his fingers.

"Stop that."

"What? This?" Kiba began working his tongue over the tips of his fingers, eyeing Lee teasingly.

Lee's face got hot. "Kiba-kun, you are ridiculous."

"Why? It ain't like this is goin' to be a permanent thing, Lee. Gotta enjoy it the times it happens. Hell, this may be the _only_ time."

Lee frowned hard and stepped out of the shower. He took a towel from a rack and patted his body dry as he said, "Well, it is not a permanent thing, I will say that much. We will figure something out."

Lee sighed and tossed the towel into a basket. He turned towards the door. "I will see you, Kiba-kun."

"Hey, Lee."

Lee stopped and turned around. "Wh-"

Kiba wrapped his arms around his neck and suddenly pressed his mouth against Lee's, immediately slipping his tongue between his lips before Lee had a chance to react. Lee's hands made to push him away, but experience had smoothed Kiba's kiss and his tongue was talented, teasing over Lee's and bringing out a response.

Kiba locked them in the kiss for almost three minutes before lightly separating and licking Lee's cheek teasingly. "There's a preview for ya."

Lee's cheeks burned, but a familiar fire heated his lips. He averted his eyes and murmured something. Kiba just smirked and gave Lee a quick bite on the ear before he let go. "See ya, Lee."

Lee waved and walked out of the showers, his face only getting hotter as he felt Kiba's sharp eyes on his back.

"What the hell have you been doin'?"

Lee jumped a little and turned around. A thin man leaned against the wall, a cigarette burning in his mouth. The stubble of a beard and the carelessness of his dress gave him a scruffy appearance. His eyes were sunken above dark circles as they slid over to him, glaring as if Lee had done him wrong.

Lee was unnerved as he asked, "Excuse me?"

"Y'were in there too long for my likin'. What the hell were y'up to?"

"I was not up to anything. I was showering."

"An' I won the lottery a few days ago."

"Congratulations."

The man's eyes narrowed. He straightened up and stood over Lee threateningly. He was not more then a foot taller. "I don't like yer attitude."

"Well, excuse me saying, but I do not particularly like yours either."

The man's hand drew back viciously. "Don't you sass me, you little-"

"Kigen!"

Lee turned around to see another man walking purposefully towards them. He glanced at the other man, whose hand went down slowly and he cursed.

"What, Sahou?"

The man stood over Kigen with a vicious authority. His voice was deathly still as he said, "I am warning you now, Kigen. You have been assigned to another slave against better judgment, another slave of more value then you will ever be worth. If I even hear rumors that you are threatening to damage David-san's property like you just were, I personally take care of you."

Kigen eyed him uneasily, scoffing and averting his eyes. He brought the cigarette up to his lips. "Slaves are easy t'replace."

Sahou grabbed the cigarette and threw it to the floor, extinguishing it with his foot. "Don't try me, Kigen."

Kigen looked between his crushed cigarette and the man threatening him. He narrowed his eyes. "Whatever, Sahou."

With that being said, Kigen turned around and walked off. Lee watched him leave, feeling a little awkward about what had occurred.

"You. Name."

Lee jumped as the authoritative voice was directed at him. He turned to face him. "Rock Lee."

"You brought that on yourself. If you were of lesser value, I would have let him hit you."

Lee looked over this man. He was old, probably older then David was. His face bore a few scars and he was built strongly. Then, it dawned on Lee that he was being chastised. He dropped his eyes. "I apologize."

"You forget your place. Watch your smart tongue. Kigen may have anger problems, but you will not do things to _make_ him angry. Understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Come. _I _will return you to your cell."


	7. Piercings

Two days of training.

Two days of attempting to work out the basic kinks of sex.

Two days of frustrating his instructor with his lack of enthusiasm and lack of response to even his best efforts.

Two days of wishing he would just die already.

But, two days that paid off in the end.

Rock Lee rubbed his mouth with a towel, going as far as to attempt to scrub the taste off his tongue. He had actually performed oral sex. He shown no potential for the act in 'training', but apparently enough time will allow for anything and he _had_ the time. Fate had provided him with a mellowed out client who probably had no more of an idea of what was going on then Lee did. In fact, he had passed out on the chair he was in and was currently snoring contently. Lee did not intend to wake him up.

He sighed and sat down next to the chair, eyeing his snoring client with almost pity. He was young, probably not more then six years older then Lee was. He had been very sweet, though, even if he was not all there. When it came to servicing him, Lee had been less then unwilling.

Nevertheless, still he found it unbearably difficult to enjoy.

Lee had to wonder how Naruto and Kiba did it. All they could talk about was what Keiko taught them that day, until they were put in service on Lee's second day of training. Then, they began comparing and rating clients. For such young boys, they were sexually inclined and there were rumors that their value was increasing with every session.

Lee could never keep up with that kind of sexuality and he knew it. But, he did not intend to have to.

He looked up as the door slid open again and a sulky Kigen entered, followed loosely by Sahou. Lee frowned at him.

"Get up," snapped Kigen, giving Lee a vicious glare.

Lee narrowed his eyes at him and stubbornly remained sitting. Kigen's face grew red with anger. "Get up!"

Lee did not move. But, when he dared to take a glance at Sahou, the man raised a disapproving eyebrow at him and gestured for him to get up _now._

Lee stood up, but did not take up the wide stance he had been taught in training. Kigen's face grew even redder as he glared over his shoulder at Sahou. He turned viciously back to Lee and looked ready to kill him. Lee met his eyes, but would not be intimidated. Kigen's hands curled into fists and his face was practically livid.

That is when Sahou stepped in.

"Lee!"

Lee's feet moved father apart and his hands fell to his sides in the correct stance. "Yes, sir?"

"Come."

"Yes, sir."

Kigen's face was a priceless mask of horrified shock. Then, it went almost purple as he turned on Lee. "You little bastard, I'll-"

"Kigen!" Sahou's level voice held a note of severity Lee had not heard as of yet. Sahou stepped forward and stared fiercely down at Kigen. "You are on thin ice as it is. You have established a nasty reputation around here for injuring valuable slaves with your viper temper. Learn some self-control lest you be put to bed one night with a knife between your ribs."

Then, Sahou turned on Lee and snapped, "Don't think I didn't see that either. Learn your place!"

"Yes, sir."

"Better. Now, come."

"Yes, sir."

Lee followed Master Sahou out of the room and down the hallway, where slaves of both sexes were exiting their assigned rooms and heading towards the showers. He noticed a few of them gave him a concerned look, each of their hands drifting almost instinctively to their chests. But, they quickly averted their eyes and scampered away when they caught his gaze. Suddenly, the door Sahou was opening looked very foreboding. Lee stepped in after the guard, only to stop dead.

The room was a dark blue, not an entirely unpleasant color. The ceiling and several sections of the wall were covered with mirrors. Chairs ranging from wooden straight-backs to luxurious love seats were scattered around the large room.

However, the furniture was the least of Lee's worries. The walls were dotted with hooks that held a variety of paddles, canes and whips. Another section was completely dedicated to varieties of clamps. Shelves displayed diverse dildos that ranged in size from minuscule to truly elephantine. Over twenty feet of wall space was taken up by cuffs, gags and other bondage gear. Leather straps and chains, some attached to pulley systems, hung from the ceiling. Worse, scattered around the room were a variety of racks, an X-cross and other bondage devices.

This room put the one he had worked in to shame. It was certainly made to put any rebellious slave back in his place.

A sharp snap brought him back to the real world. His attention turned to the source of the sound. Sahou was looking directly at him, yet he found no comfort in his unchanged expression. He merely motioned Lee forward and continued into the room. Lee had to fight his own legs' urge to go in the opposite direction.

Sahou stopped at a simple, straight-backed chair. Now, if Lee had been introduced to such a chair in a better environment, he probably would have thought someone was thinking of furnishing a rarely used kitchen. However, he spotted a few D-rings attached in various places. If used right, escape would be all but impossible.

Sahou snapped his fingers. "Kneel."

He eased his tired body to his knees.

Then, the door to the private dungeon opened again. He followed the guard's gaze and saw yet another guard enter, this one escorting Naruto. Lee tilted his head a little, wondering what Naruto had done. This only reminded him that he did not know what he had done either.

Naruto was pushed to his knees next to Lee. He frowned deeply as his guard left after a brief, hushed conversation with Sahou. He turned his attention away from Lee, allowing the older boy a chance to examine him. He seemed alright. He was not bleeding, bruised or shaking. The only problem Lee could see was the slightly troubled look on his face. Physically, Lee judged Naruto to be pretty much okay.

A few minutes of awkward silence passed before the door opened again and the guard who had brought in Naruto was now dragging Kiba in. Kiba was forcefully resisting. He firmly planted his feet in the doorway and refused to move on his own. The guard literally had to pull Kiba in. Within five minutes, they had only moved a few feet. Both Kiba and the guard were sweating with the effort it took fighting each other. The blood-red markings on the Inuzuka's cheeks shimmered in the dim light, giving him a savage appearance.

"Oh, honestly, Kencho," Sahou sighed roughly. He marched over to where the guard was struggling to keep Kiba from stepping backwards. He grabbed Kiba around the waist with one arm, yanked him off his feet and carried him kicking over to where Lee and Naruto knelt. He set the struggling boy down on his feet on Lee's other side, forcefully pushing him into position like his companions. He held him there firmly for almost a minute until he was sure Kiba would not go anywhere. Then, he dismissed the other guard.

"What the hell did I do?!"

"Quiet, Kiba."

"I didn't do anythin'!"

"Quiet or I'll gag you."

Kiba glared at Sahou angrily and fell silent, turning to Lee and Naruto, who both gave him a small shrug.

Then, the door opened yet again and a tall, tanned man with tied back sandy hair stepped in followed shortly by one of the doctors pulling along a little table. Lee followed Master David with his eyes as he walked briskly around to the other side of the chair. He motioned the doctor over to him. Then, he examined the equipment on the table and glanced at the clipboard the doctor carried before donning a pair of single-use latex gloves.

Lee felt Kiba squirm uncomfortably as Master David's eyes moved from his gloves to them. He looked them over briefly before picking one of the items from the table and holding it up.

It was a small silver ring.

"Congratulations," he said flipping the ring in his hand and catching it deftly. "You all passed."

The three genin exchanged confused glances.

"You see, the masters you were just with were evaluators. Yes, even Zassou."

Lee's face grew hot at the mentioning of his previous client.

"They were the ones that determined if your training was successful or not and whether you would be worth the trouble of keeping. Based on their reports, you all show potential and experience will fix the problems. I have brought you here to give you both your collars-"

He gestured toward three thin boxes on his medic's cart.

"-and your piercings."

Lee almost had a seizure.

_"Piercings?!_" Naruto squawked. "What for?!"

"It is tradition. You will notice that all my slaves bear gold rings. This is because they have all been conditioned. Yours are silver and will remain silver so long as you behave."

Master David's smile was creepily sincere as he set the ring back down. "So… Volunteers? No? Well, there never are. Why don't we start with Naruto-kun, then?"

Naruto's face went white. His blue eyes were wide and he was shaking as he moved to stand up.

Lee grabbed his arm.

Master David raised an eyebrow at him.

Naruto glanced at Master David and back to Lee, hissing, "What?"

"I will do it."

"Dude, I'm not-"

"Naruto-kun."

Naruto fell back to his knees quickly, spitting, "I could've done it!"

Master David smiled and chuckled a little. "Well, aren't we brave? Sahou. If you would."

The muscular guard's presence was suddenly behind him. Instinctive stiffness ran through his body as Sahou ordered him to his feet.

"Arms."

Lee twisted his arms behind him. He felt supple leather twist around his arms, tying his wrists to his forearms.

Sahou led Lee to the chair and sat him down. Sahou pressed his back against the chair, forcing him to sit up painfully straight and held him there firmly.

"Nothing personal, love," Master David said casually. "But I've had slaves who panic during the process and ended up damaging themselves."

Lee was tempted to remind Master David his name was not 'love', but a glance around the room effectively silenced him. Master David came around the side of the chair and lightly ran his fingers over Lee's nipples, rubbing in enticing circles until they were erect. Lee slowly clenched and unclenched his hands, trying to ignore the electric thrills running down his spine.

Once satisfied, Master David reached over and picked up a fine tipped marker. He crouched in front of Lee and moved his thumb over his right nipple a few times before making two small dots on either side. He repeated the process on the other side before capping his marker. He examined the dots again, making sure they were aligned. He returned to the table. He dampened a cotton ball with a clear solution and brushed his slave's nipples and the surrounding area a few times.

Then, Lee felt cold clamp squeezing his right nipple. He winced, tightly clenching his teeth. Lances of pain shot down his body before dulling off to a throb. He let his breath go in a harsh sigh. That is when Master David pulled out a needle from a sterilized package. Nerves gripped his lungs again, stopping them effectively. He watched carefully as Master David aligned the needle with the dots. He braced himself.

There was a jolt of pain, making him wince. But, that was it.

He let his breath go.

Master David picked up one of the rings and placed the end at the blunt part of the needle. With a fluid movement, he pushed out the needle and replaced it with the ring. After a bit of adjusting, Master David closed the ring and it was done.

On the second time around, Lee mainly focused on the odd feeling of the needle going through his skin, then the ring being maneuvered into the right position. Then, Master David preformed a fast selection of hands signs and Lee felt a sudden disruption of chakra. Master David lightly touched Lee's fresh piercing and immediately Lee was met with the familiar feeling of chakra working through his cells. But, he had never had so much chakra focused in a single place.

Soon, Master David stood up and pulled off his gloves with a snap. "Alright then. That's that. Now…"

Master David turned around and read the labels on the three boxes, choosing the one from the middle. He opened it up and pulled out a wide leather collar, adorned with several O-rings around its circumference. He unbuckled the collar and wrapped the supple leather around Lee's neck, pulling the tongue through the buckle and latching it. Then, he went back to the box and removed a small, but strong silver lock. He walked back over and clicked it into place, locking the collar on permanently.

"Lovely," Master David commented, standing up and examining his work. "Alright, love. On your feet."

Lee shakily pulled himself to his feet. The leather around his neck was heavy. Sahou unlaced the leather straps binding his arms and Lee let his arms fall to his side. He looked over to Naruto and Kiba. He smiled as reassuringly as he could and gave them a friendly wink (because if Gai-sensei could make it work, so could he). He padded over and lightly kneeled next to them. David snapped on another pair of gloves and said in an unnervingly nice voice:  
"Next?"


	8. Frame

_It isn't real, it isn't real, it isn't real…_

Neji pulled himself up, spitting out blood. His legs shook with effort as his Byakugan desperately searched for an opening. The black silky fabric shielded the shapeless body from his bloodline, making it impossible to detect the openings vital to his technique. There was no opening.

How could there be no opening!

Neji backed up a little more, hoping to see something he could not have before. He stepped carefully, avoiding the bodies of Maito Gai, Tenten and Hizashi Hyuuga. Every one of his moves showed across the battlefield in a dark crimson map. Then there was the ninja, simply standing there as casually as ever in a growing puddle of blood from the badly injured figure he held in one hand.

In the light of a dying sun, Neji could see the torn flesh and broken bone jabbing from his shoulder, the ripped ends of sinewy muscle that until that time had held herculean power. Shards of bone were stabbing through torn orange leg warmers. The blood still ran steadily from gaping wounds.

Neji gritted his teeth. He could not let his teammate die like this, not again.

_I will just have to guess!_ Neji leapt forward, drawing chakra to his fingers and immediate reserves to his arms. He had one strike to end this, two at best. If he failed, he would lose all advantage and he would once again be at the black ninja's mercy.

He struck quickly... and made contact!

Neji's victory was short lived. His eyes widened and his shoulders fell.

He had made contact.

With Rock Lee.

Through the red smeared across his pale face, Neji could see horror on his lover's face. He coughed, blood misting the still air. The tiny droplets settled on Neji's cheeks.

"Mm… shame. I didn't think you'd actually make a hit."

Pain lanced through Neji's cheek. He slammed into the ground, tumbling for a few feet before his back hit hard against an unyielding tree. He heard at least two ribs snap. Agony paralyzed his senses. He collapsed.

"I suppose a dead suitor is of little use to me," scoffed the black ninja, tossing Lee's body aside. "Now, it's simply the matter of what to do with you until I restart this _all_ over again."

Neji made a valiant effort to get up. "I'll… I'll kill you…"

"Ch! You cannot even stand. What chance do y-"

_**"Release!"**_

__Both Neji and the black ninja stared at the sword that had started all of this. It stabbed through the folds of silk on the ninja's chest.

"Goddamn it-!"

The black ninja exploded in a burst of dark sand. A small wind came and blew the black specks away, leaving only the person who had been standing behind him.

The strongly built blonde man walked up to him slowly, as if he were afraid to startle Neji. Around him, the bloody scene began dissolving, leaving the Hyuuga courtyard where Neji's dreams usually occurred. The agony of broken ribs and various injuries abruptly stopped. The man eased down onto one knee and gingerly put one hand on Neji's forehead. The boy gave him an inquiring look.

The man just smiled pityingly at him. "Time to get up."

Neji winced and shut his eyes as the man forcefully pushed against his forehead with his palm. He tumbled backwards and abruptly fell back into his body. Feeling leapt back into him. A dull ache began forming over his limbs and he felt exceedingly light-headed.

"…he'll be a little out of it for about an hour. I wouldn't be surprised if little of what he says makes any sense, if he says anything."

"And… the others?"

"Freed. Shino is still in the ICU, but he's fairly stable and should recover."

Neji heard a soft sigh and felt a shift in… whatever he was laying on. He recognized one of those voices. He just could not place it. He frowned a little and struggled with his eyes.

"I wouldn't stress him either. There is no telling what he's seen or how he took it."

"He's tough as nails…"

The voice was weak, but prideful. Neji blinked against sharp white light until it dimmed out and turned into fuzzy shapes and colors, then into the vague silhouettes of people.

He could see one of the figures was standing while the other was resting his arms on the bedside. Neji could not place who it was, for he had his face buried in his arms and he could not make out much more then the outline of him anyway. He turned his pale eyes to the other figure, blinking as rapidly as his dragging brain would allow. Slowly, long blonde hair and a strong, muscular body came into focus.

It was the man from the genjutsu.

"Gai-san."

The figure on his bed sat up as if someone had snapped a whip at him. He turned first to the blonde man, who gestured over to Neji. Then, the figure turned dark eyes to him.

"Neji. My fine student… it is wonderful to see your youthful eyes again."

Neji made a half-attempt to say something, but it came out as a slurred mess.

Maito Gai forced a laugh. "At least you're trying."

The blonde figure cleared his throat.

Gai stared at him for a moment as if he had completely forgotten who he was. Then, "Oh! Right. Where is my decency? Neji, this is Inoichi of the Yamanaka family. He's the one who discovered how to break the genjutsu you were under."

Neji looked at Inoichi. Inoichi gave an uneasy smile, as if he were nervous. Then, he murmured some hasty goodbyes and fled from the room as if he expected some sort of explosion.

Gai gave the door a concerned glace. Then, he turned back to Neji and said quietly, "Do you know where you are?"

Neji stared at him blankly.

Gai stared at him for a moment before his expression melted to a mixture of pity and sadness. He turned his eyes away. "You're… we're, in Konoha."

The words slammed into Neji's consciousness like a lightning bolt, ringing like a sick echo. He began to try to say something, but he stopped abruptly. His eyes traced over his sensei's face. He looked… older. So much older. Lines that were not there when he left now etched his sensei's face as if the years had suddenly caught up to the whirlwind of a Jounin. His eyes, usually fiery and ridiculously full of spirit, were dim with misery and still damp from what Neji guessed were days of crying.

A sudden empty feeling had engulfed his body, as if someone had taken everything that made him up inside and left him nothing but a shell that would shatter upon contact.

The mission had been a failure. Lee was gone.

-------

It took three days for the various nurses and doctors to decide Neji was fit enough to even get up. But, he did not try and escape as the rest of Team Gai typically did. He was content sitting quietly in the hospital window and staring out over Konoha with his Byakugan.

The common man of the village endlessly fascinated him. Careless and stupid, the average citizen lived their lives like sheep, following a set schedule and milling about in a sort of organized chaos. But, besides their simplicity, what disturbed Neji was the ease in which the citizens of Konoha went about their daily lives after three children had been snatched from under their noses.

So, Neji watched in wonder, thinking about how blissfully unaware the civilian was.

They just were not like ninja. True, shinobi could go about their daily lives even after war, but that was because they could not afford not to. They grieved over those lost regardless if they did not know them personally. It was just the way things were. All ninja felt… connected to the others in their village and the ties between them were strong. It was not always obvious, but there were subtle signs and none of the citizens below displayed one of them. They really were a foreign species, these… civilians.

Neji considered the idea that perhaps they just did not know. Civilians were prone to unwarranted bouts of panic by nature. There was always the possibility that to avoid a riot of terror, the Hokage had decided to tuck this incident under the proverbial rug. Every ninja in Konoha knew about it, but civilians were finicky and special measures had to be taken for them.

Neji felt a slight disturbance, the introducing of another's chakra. Someone was at the door. Neji judged who it was before the door even opened.

"Good afternoon, uncle."

Hiashi Hyuuga strode in, seemingly filling the room to breaking point with his air of nobility. He simply walked in and stood next to his nephew, staring at the window as he did everything. With a sort of bitter acceptance.

"You are well."

Neji could not have expected much else from his uncle. Hiashi was never a very good conversationalist when it did not involve viciously calm criticism. His conversations usually lasted about two minutes, at best.

"I suppose."

Hiashi frowned at the world outside. "How are you coping?"

"With what?"

"You were close to that… _Lee_ child." Hiashi barely kept from grimacing at the taste of the name of Neji's 'badly-bred' teammate.

"I suppose."

With little choice, Hiashi turned back to his original question. "So, how are you coping with his… loss?"

"Civilians are idiots."

Hiashi could not hide the look of confusion as he turned sharply to his nephew. Neji did not look up. Hiashi frowned.

"They are an odd, flighty kind of human. That is all."

"They're stupid."

Hiashi sighed. "They are just not like shinobi, Neji. They can get by without having to be terribly smart."

"So, it's alright for the average man to be a blind idiot?"

"As a Hyuuga, I do not think you are in line to be comparing sight."

Neji guessed that was either a joke or a reprimand. He turned his eyes fiercely on his uncle. "Why are you here?"

It was Hiashi's turn to turn his eyes away from the question. "I am concerned for you."

Neji narrowed his eyes. "I don't need pity."

"I do not pity you. I empathize."

"You can't understand."

"Neji-"

"You cannot understand for I do not _feel_. I'm not sad, angry or confused on the matter. I. Feel. _Nothing."_

Hiashi stared at him for a moment. Neji turned his eyes back towards the window, but the veins receded back under his skin. Hiashi sighed softly and turned around, walking towards the door. He stopped when he reached it.

"You will be released in two days."

With that, Hiashi left.

-------

Those two days were the long. Tenten had brought him clothes and together, they had him checked out and gone within twenty minutes. As soon as he stepped out of the hospital, people started rushing up to him, asking if he was alright, how he was feeling, what had happened. Neji didn't even know half the people, but gossip traveled fast in Konoha. Tenten battled off their questions in a practiced manner, covering Neji's escape. He immediately went to check out the damage time had done to his room.

Amazingly, no one had touched anything. Literally. The door was at the same angle he left it at when he left from his mission. He walked inside, grabbed a few cleaning supplies from his bathroom and set about cleaning off the micro-thin layer of dust that had settled over the room in his absence.

As he ran a damp cloth over his dresser, a tiny glare caught his eyes. He peered up and found himself looking at the team picture on his dresser. Tenten smiled sweetly back at him. His own pale eyes stared passively. Gai-sensei gave him a brilliant smile and his classic Nice-Guy pose. Then, on Tenten's left with Gai-sensei's hand on his shoulder, was Rock Lee. He seemed to radiate confidence and warmth, even as an inanimate photo.

Neji turned back to the dresser and began scrubbing harder then necessary.

He could never admit it aloud, but internally, Neji knew he had always been jealous of Lee for that seemingly untouchable ego and his unfaltering confidence in himself and those around him. Neji had hated him for it through the Academy and even when they became teammates. He couldn't see the point in it, when the ridiculous boy was doomed to failure in the first place. But, then Gai-sensei came into the picture and Lee began finally showing signs of potential.

How he had resented Lee when he had preformed the Primary then _Secondary_ Lotus when he himself couldn't.

_But, to what avail?_ Neji thought bitterly, scrubbing at an invisible speck of dust. _He couldn't even protect himself! Lethal strength, techniques so powerful they cause bodily damage to the performer, uncanny speed. Damn it, Lee might as well have __**given**__himself to them! It was his own fault! If he couldn't even use what power he had, he __**deserved it!**_

With a quick reel back, Neji smashed everything off his dresser. Meditation candles, polished kunai and the photo crashed to the ground. The shattering off glass and the clang of metal rang through the room.

He glared down at the picture, lying among the fragments of glass and chips of wax. Regardless, Lee still stared back at him, same as always.

Neji grabbed the photo and threw it.

It hit the opposite wall with a satisfying _smash!_ He heard the frame crack as it bounced to the ground. He ignored it. Grabbing his trash can, Neji forcefully tossed pieces of glass into it. His mind was on repetition, saying over and over that it was Lee's own fault, as if simply repeating it could make it true.

It was when the pieces of glass got too small to pick up by hand that Neji's thoughts began to get a little more logical.

After setting his kunai and intact meditation candles aside, Neji fetched a broom from his pile of cleaning supplies and began thoroughly sweeping the demolition area.

_Perhaps it wasn't… completely his fault,_ he thought, tilting his head slightly to catch glass glinting in the light. _I mean, if his kidnappers were like that black ninja… Hell, I was..._

Neji swept the debris into a dustpan, deposited it in the trashcan and dragged said trashcan back to its designated spot. Then, stepping lightly lest he missed a few shards, he retrieved the broken frame and the photo inside of it. Even after his violent treatment, Lee looked back at him with the same eyes he always had.

Neji simply stood there for a moment, staring at the photo in his hands.

"I always thought this would look better in a black frame anyway. I'll get one tomorrow."

But, the next day, Neji found himself assigned to a mission that would last ten months.


	9. Drinks

"Kiba-kun!"

Rock Lee wrapped his arms around Kiba's chest, pulling him as close as he could get him. He ran his tongue over sweaty muscles and lightly bit the tiny folds of skin between them. Kiba arched his back into Lee's teasing, his moan turning into a throaty growl as he worked Lee over with his anal muscles. His arms were wrapped around Lee's neck, his long nails scraping against his skin.

Meanwhile, Naruto and the group's client sat back in a comfortable chair. The man was older then all of them by at least four decades and the grey speckling his dark hair was evidence of it. He had Naruto kneeled beside him, gently working his erection with his mouth. His hand was lightly set behind Naruto's head, scratching softly behind his ear as the blonde boy worked.

Lee gritted his teeth and his arms wrapped almost painfully tight around his partner as he groaned, "Kiba-kun…"

Kiba gave him a lopsided smirk and a teasing squeeze, panting, "What? Too much?"

Lee rolled his eyes a little and worked a quick set of kisses up and down Kiba's chest, flickering his tongue over an erect nipple. He curled the tip of his tongue through the silver ring and pulled gently. Kiba's hips jerked, sending electric thrills down Lee's shaft. He shuddered and his arms tightened with a sighing moan. "Lee, I'm close…"

"Nh…"

Kiba shuddered and moaned, "Damn damn damn…."

Lee dragged his tongue over Kiba's burning skin, feeling light patches of soft hair run under his tongue. Then, he groaned and pulled Kiba in tight, pressing his forehead against his ribcage and squeezing his eyes shut. "K-kiba-kun…"

Kiba grinned triumphantly and gave Lee a powerful squeeze. "Come to daddy…"

One of Lee's arms unwrapped from Kiba's chest and his strong hand wrapped around Kiba's erection. Kiba's eyes widened. "Hey! _Hey!_ Fight fair!Not co-! _**Ah!"**_

Lee pumped his friend's cock with fluid, practiced motions; nipping the brunette's skin with the tips of his canines just enough to drive him mad. Kiba wriggled violently under the onslaught of sudden pleasure. He moaned hard and his nails bit into Lee's back, dragging slow scrapes up his shoulder blades. Then, his back arched to an impossible degree and he gave a loud series of bark-like cries.

Lee was ready with a trick that kept his price up there. He opened his mouth and pumped Kiba's cock as he came, capturing his hot cum in his mouth. The taste was unique and acquired. He worked him dry, until his cries turning to moaning pants and his fingers relaxed. Then, he pushed Kiba-kun back in a fluid motion, pulling himself from his hot body as he laid him on his back. Then, he kissed him with practiced passion and slid his tongue between his lips.

Kiba's taste buds reveled in the taste of his own cum, opening his mouth wide as he kissed his friend. Thin lines of white connecting their tongues every time they parted, a sight Lee had learned drove masters crazy.

Master Shisu was no exception. Naruto had let himself get distracted by his two friend's performance and the sudden burst of hot cum across his face caught him off guard. He hurriedly put his mouth back over his Master's cock, working him with his hands and swallowing quickly to keep up.

Then, for a moment all was quiet except for the panting of everyone in the room. The short, gasping breaths coming from Naruto. The long, deep pants from Lee and Kiba. The heavy breathing of Master Shisu.

Then, the man pulled Naruto onto his lap. He pressed the boy's back against his chest, holding him almost tenderly around the waist as he rubbed his hard cock. Naruto groaned and let his head fall back against his master's neck.

Lee could not watch. He turned his eyes back to Kiba, who was licking his lips in anticipation of a second round. Lee faked an exasperated smile and sat up off of his friend, helping him sit up. Kiba sat up and his lips went right back to Lee's, his tongue slipping out to find anything he missed before. Lee didn't bother attempting to pull away. He returned the lusty kiss, his eyes occasionally flickering over to Naruto and their client.

Naruto's hips began taking a life of their own as Master Shisu pulled him closer and closer to the edge. He was moaning and gripping for the edges of the chair, his toes unable to find hold on the slick floor. Master Shisu was kissing Naruto's face with a disturbing kind of tenderness, placing kisses on the whisker marks on his cheeks, on the tip of his nose, on his closed eyes.

Then, Naruto gritted his teeth and his back arched with a groan.

It was over.

Master Shisu helped Naruto sit up and wrapped both arms around him, kissing him gently on the lips. Lee could see Naruto's tongue flicker out, but Master Shisu did not return it. He just gave a simple kiss with a small press at the end. He held Naruto's hand as the boy put his feet on the floor, allowing him to steady himself on pleasure-weakened legs. Then, he himself stood up and gestured for Kiba and Lee.

Lee stood up and fetched their client's clothing. Then, he took his place next to Kiba and bowed his head as he presented the clothing to Master Shisu. The man took the offered items and dressed. Then, standing in his old-fashioned formal clothing, he addressed all three of his kneeling slaves.

"You all did well tonight," he said, his voice raspy from years of smoke, but soft and kind. "I am very pleased with your performances."

Then, he pulled out three candies and unwrapped them. He chose one and held it up. "Kiba-kun, you are still as wild as the first time I saw you. Your enthusiasm never fails to entertain me. Just watch your nails and make sure to keep your partner's limitations in mind. Understand?"

Kiba grinned. "You got it."

Master Shisu popped the strawberry candy into his mouth.

"Lee-kun, you have progressed into a much more willing slave since I first met you. I am proud of you, but still very disappointed that you did not find release. I want you to try and see past your fear and find things in sex to enjoy. Can you do that?"

Lee averted his eyes. "Yes, sir."

Master Shisu turned his head back towards him and put a spearmint disc in his mouth.

"Naruto-kun, you know my feelings on you. You are a delightful slave and every session with you is a joy, but you lack focus. Remember to pay attention to your master at all times and to keep your focus on him and his needs. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir," Naruto's voice was lined with a playful sarcasm.

"Cheeky little twit," chuckled Master Shisu, popping a cinnamon candy into his mouth. He stood up straight and looked at all three of them with a certain fondness that was unusual for a master. "Well, I'm off. Don't let your guards catch you with those."

As soon as he closed the door, Kiba slammed his teeth into his candy, shattering it and turning on Lee. "I have no idea how y'made it this far."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Lee, how the _hell_ did y'manage t'keep from cummin'? Yer _so_ lucky Shisu ain't one t'gossip or I'd hit ya."

"It is not like I mean to make you look bad, Kiba-kun," Lee replied softly. "I… just cannot help it… and do not act like it would have dropped your price! The only thing that can drop _your_ price is an injury!"

"Yeah, but Kiba's gotta point, y'know," Naruto said plainly, pulling his candy from his mouth and licking it. "We've been here for, like, ever and you're still so _shy!_ Damn, y'still blush when someone kisses you."

"I do not!"

"You're blushin'."

"I am not!"

"Are now."

"Oh, you c- Nm…"

"You still don't swear either."

"That is because my sensei taught me better then that."

"Kakashi doesn't care."

"Kurenai-sensei gets a dictionary to find new things to call me."

Lee scoffed and bit into the spearmint disc in his mouth.

-----

Lee was going to be sick. He knew he was.

The eating habits of the two men in front of him were atrocious. He couldn't think of anything to compare their gorging to. To say a pack of pigs had better manners would offend the pigs in question. Even so, the two could put it away. He was positive what they had gobbled down in a short hour was more then he had eaten over the course of his life.

But, watching them do it was enough to make Lee seriously consider anorexia.

He cast a glance at Naruto, whose skin was taking an unusual green tinge. Both had been assigned to cater to the men, known as the Legendary Stupid Brothers. Naruto had been assigned to Master Raigin, Lee to Master Fujin.

The Fujin-Raigin Brothers were not permitted to have sexual relations of any kind with any slave. Sahou had repeated the warning three times, once to Lee, twice to Naruto. He had stressed that sexual attention from either one of them would likely leave a slave permanently out of commission.

The sheer size of their bodies left little to the imagination.

Lee winced slightly as a pair of plastic chopsticks was crushed between Master Fujin's teeth. The man barely noticed. He just kept shoveling udon noodles into his mouth with the halves in his hand.

Lee hadn't seen much of Kigen lately either. He had been receiving unusual amounts of joint sessions with other slaves, to make up for the lack of his guard. What sessions Lee hadn't spent with Kiba or a female slave named Yubi had been spent with Naruto. With Kigen out of the picture, Lee would probably only be seeing more of him.

He heard Naruto stifle a grunt of disgust as a full stick of yakitori disappeared down Master Raigin's throat, skewer and all. Master Raigin was reached for another, but began choking.

Lee exchanged glances with Naruto, neither sure on what to do. They turned back to the scene, where Master Fujin had figured out something was wrong with his gagging brother.

"Brother, what's wrong with you?" he asked, patting him on the back. But, Master Raigin kept choking. He grabbed his throat as he began turning blue.

Master Fujin balled up his fist and punched his brother in the stomach with enough power to force the yakitori from his throat. Master Raigin gulped in air greedily for about ten seconds before returning to his gorging.

There was a moment of silence before Master Fujin laughed. "You have always been a monkey!"

Master Raigin took a wine glass and sucked down its contents. He shook it roughly over his open mouth a few times before glaring inside it. He snarled.

Both the Konoha ninja ducked. The glass went flying over their heads and smashed against the wall behind them.

_"More! I want more!"_

"Goddamn it, that's the fifth glass today," muttered Naruto, moving to get up. Lee put a hand on his shoulder.

"I will get it, Naruto-kun," He got up and maneuvered his way around the glass of five glasses. He went to the small serving cart that had come stocked with various alcohols and dozens of glasses. He took one and filled it with a dark red wine, imported from over the Western seas. He grimaced at the overpowering aroma, but wiped it from his face as he presented it to Master Raigin. The fat man just snatched it from him and took a long draw of it.

He laughed a little, followed by a small hiccup. He elbowed his brother a little. "Hey, big bro. This is really good."

"Really?" replied Master Fujin around a mouthful of sushi.

"Yeah. Watch!" Master Raigin turned to Lee, whose fingers twitched a little. "Drink this!"

Lee gave the glass a tentative look. He held up his hand softly. "I cannot, Master Raigin. I am underage."

Master Raigin's mood swung. His face contorted with fury. He grabbed Lee around the chest with one hand and yanked him towards him. _"I said drink it!"_

"Oi!" Naruto leapt from his kneeling position and ran to Lee's aid. "Let 'im go!"

Lee thrashed vainly. "Master Raigin, you are out of line! You canno-!"

The glass clinked hard against his teeth as Master Raigin forced the glass against his mouth and tipped it back. The taste of alcohol burned the back of his throat. He jerked his head to the side, spitting out the heavy wine.

"Let 'im go, asshole!" Naruto punched Raigin, his fist sinking into the fat. But, it was enough to pull his attention from Lee. He dropped him and turned on Naruto. Naruto punched him again.

Fujin seized his arm. "Hey! Don't hit my brother, you brat!"

"Let go, fatass!" snapped Naruto, lashing out with his free hand.

"I'll teach you a lesson, you little bug!"

Naruto saw Master Fujin draw back his fist, but he couldn't react fast enough. Just the sound as the punch landed was bad enough. He flew backwards, slamming into the ground and the glass of five fine wine glasses. He tumbled across the floor, crying out sharply when he hit the wall. Blood dripped down his lacerated skin.

"I'll turn you to pulp, brat!" snarled Master Fujin, waddling towards the blonde boy.

"You will n-hic!- touch him!"

Master Fujin turned livid as he whirled around to face Lee. "What!"

Lee staggered to his feet, clumsily taking up his fighting stance. He staggered forward a little, glaring at Raigin. "You stupid jerk! I will- hic! - I will hurt y… _**Graah!"**_

Lee slammed a forceful kick into Raigin's stomach, forcing him back into Fujin. Then, he pounced like a cat, proceeding to take out nine months of frustration on the Legendary Stupid Brothers.

Naruto looked up dazedly, watching two hulking men get their butts handed to them by a sealed and somewhat drunk slave. Then, the door slammed open and Sahou came charging in. He stopped halfway, his mouth falling to the floor. "Holy shi- Get David! Damn it, get David!"

He turned straight back around and ran out. Immediately, there was a roar of commotion from alerted guards. Naruto felt the blood leave his face. "Aw, crap. Bushy brow! Bushy brow, snap out of it!"

He got up, ignoring the pain lancing through his mutilated body. It took several grabs before he caught Lee. He tried to drag him back, but Lee was one hundred seventeen pounds of muscle. He dug his heels in, wincing as he snarled, "Lee! Quit it! David's comin'!"

"Let go of me! I am n- hic! - finished with them!" Lee pushed Naruto away from him, pouncing on Raigin's back and slamming his head repeatedly into the floor boards.

"Lee, stop! You're going to g-"

_"My god!"_

Master David made several quick hand signs and ran forward with agility that belied his age. He grabbed Lee's shoulder and whirled him around, flicking two fingers across Lee's temple. A burst of chakra and Lee collapsed lifelessly…

…

….

…..

Lee's eyes fluttered open and he immediately closed them again. Even the dim light burned his eyes. His head was throbbing and his body ached as if he had been thrown down stairs. He could still taste the inimitable flavor of alcohol in the back of his throat.

Slowly, he eased his eyes open to look around him. He was in the room in which he had received his piercings, what he had come to call the Dark Room. He was firmly tied to an A-frame, bindings on his wrists, arms, chest, waist and legs kept him from moving so much as an inch. Blood was smeared across his chest and arms.

Whatever had happened was bad and he had a feeling he had screwed things up.

"I knew this was going to happen!"

Master David's loud exclamation stabbed into Lee's head like a knife. The door slammed shut and the man walked forward purposefully, his icy blue eyes locked firmly on Lee. He stopped inches from his bound slave and just stared at him viciously. Lee twisted under his harsh gaze.

"Well, Lee-kun? What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Master David, I… I do not know. What happened?"

"You beat the living daylight out of two of your clients. You severely injured another of my slaves. You caused the entire hall to be shut down. You _destroyed_ one of my finer rooms," Master David took in a deep breath and sighed roughly. "-and all because I trusted that I could keep you away from alcohol."

"M-master?"

"Lee, there are certain limits to conditioning. The top problem I face when recruiting new slaves is their tempers, which this technique can never fully erase. I believed that I could keep you here simply because I assumed the warning in your profile would keep your clients from giving you alcohol. It appears I was wrong. Usually, the steps I would take now would involve executing you and erasing the evidence that you were ever here-"

Lee's insides twisted.

"-and I would, if I were not so sure that the fault lies completely with your client. But, while there is little chance of this happening again, I cannot keep you here regardless of the profits your presence brings in. Gossip will travel fast of what occurred here tonight and there will be many calling for your immediate removal. If I choose to keep you in service, I will lose more business then you bring in."

Lee's heart sank.

"I have devised a plan that should satisfy all three parties. My business, you and I," Master David waved his hand towards the wall. "You see, until now I have conditioned every slave that came into my ownership within a month. I have never had a chance to evaluate their personalities or their various strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, I have never had a chance to take one home with me."

The blood completely left Lee's face. "M-master David?"

"I am going to keep you alive, Lee-kun, and keep you as my personal slave."

Lee didn't know whether to be relieved or horrified. The arrangement would keep him alive, but at what cost? Sentencing his two friends to life as sex slaves? "M-master David, please-"

"When I leave here tonight, your papers will have been destroyed. You will return to my home with me and never return. It will be as if you never came here."

Lee stared blankly at him. Tears sprung to the corners of his eyes. _As if I never came… But, what of Naruto-kun and Kiba-kun? How will I help them escape here if I myself am not here? They will not forget._

"You will remain here until the building is completely empty and I have finished my work here," The man turned around and walked towards the door.

"Master David, please!" Lee cried sharply. "I cannot leave Naruto-kun and Kiba-kun! I cannot leave them!"

The man looked over his shoulder, just slightly, before he walked out the door and shut it behind him. Lee heard the lock click shut. The tears in his eyes spilled down his cheeks. Everything had happened so quickly. He had lost his place here and every chance he would have had to help Naruto and Kiba to escape because of a drink he hadn't even wanted. His head dropped weakly to his chest.

He cried.


	10. Fruits of Business

Hours ticked by like days. Pain had softened Lee's will and misery had driven him to hopelessness. He had drifted off into a semi-daze under the influence of the powerful forces and only the door sliding open that gave him reason to wake up from it. He recognized the figure almost before he came in. It was Sahou.

The guard, though composed from years of work, showed subtle signs of being concerned. The new lines on his face, how tense he was when he walked and how he had hesitated in letting him go. He had to grab Lee as he fell forward and set him back on his feet.

"Master Sahou-"

"Don't speak," The tone was unusual, commanding but not sharp. "Just follow."

Lee shut his mouth. Sahou took him to the showers, politely standing with his back towards him. Lee washed blood from his skin, watching it drip to the tile and swirl down a drain. He could not believe any of it had come from Naruto-kun. Just thinking about it made his stomach turn and his chest ache.

He shut off the water and Sahou handed him a towel. The thoroughness of Lee's drying job was disputable, but Sahou said nothing as he took the towel back and handed him a set of simple, but adequate clothing. Lee fought with it, out of practice with normal clothing. The pants went on easier, but Lee struggled with his shirt like it was the devil. When he finally managed to pull it over his head and onto the right place, he realized it was backwards. Sahou rolled his eyes at his plight.

Finally, Lee's fight with his clothing was over and he looked… normal. When he looked back at Sahou, the man was staring at him with troubled eyes. His eyes swept over Lee, for the last inspection between them.  
With a sigh, Sahou wordlessly left the room. Lee trailed after him hesitantly for a moment before he trotted a little to catch up to him. He looked around at the now empty hallway with an almost wistful feeling. It was strange, practically eerie, for it to be so quiet. But, he knew that come nightfall, life would return to the now deserted hallway.  
And he wouldn't be there for it.  
Sahou pushed open a door and stepped into the main bar room. Lee looked around. It looked the same standing up as it did slung over the shoulder of a black-clad ninja. He quickly turned back and was able to see the empty hallway one last time before the door shut. The breath rushed from his lungs. He hadn't realized he had been holding it.  
Distracted, he almost didn't realize Sahou had stopped. He halted behind him, a single step away from collision. He stepped back and was able to see that Master David was standing in front of the exit to the bar.  
There was very little exchange between Master David and Sahou. Nothing more then the confirmation that everything was right and that all physical evidence that Lee had ever been there had been destroyed. Lee wanted to be thankful that his time there would be forgotten, but something in him wanted Sahou to have missed something. He was unsure as to why.  
With his report made, Sahou gave Master David a simple nod and turned around to head back to the cells, where he was stationed for night duty. Lee felt him pass, but couldn't bring himself to watch him leave.  
Master David didn't waste any time either. He pressed a code into a panel, opening the door to the small store guise outside. Lee watched carefully, staring at the panel for five seconds after the code was finished before following Master David through the 'store' and out into a cool morning.  
Lee blinked against the unusually bright light. After the dimmed or colored lights in the bar, the striking sunlight was almost a welcome pain. He turned to the painted horizon and suddenly missed Konoha that much more.

Master David cleared his throat meaningfully. The blonde man gestured towards the open door of a magnificent coach. Lee hesitated, taking a glance at the horses pulling the carriage. He stepped forward cautiously.

One snorted loudly and stamped its hoof with impatience. Lee was in the carriage like someone had snapped a whip at him.

If Master David was mad about Lee's panicked leaping, he didn't show it. He just stepped inside and sat down. The door shut behind him with a quick _snap_. Then, he turned and looked out through the back window. His light eyes scrutinized the horizon, as if there was something suspicious about the rising sun. Though tempted to ask why, Lee decided it best to keep his distance, both physically and verbally.

Then, the carriage jerked to life, speeding forward. Lee nearly lost his balance. His recovery wasn't graceful, but it kept him from slamming into the door and to the ground. He looked up and, through the back window, could see the bar quickly shrinking into the horizon. From the outside, it looked like a pleasant road-side shop instead of the hellhole it really was. Even if no one else did, he knew that two of what had become his best friends were still trapped inside, to be sold out to the next client come nightfall.

He wished he knew whether to feel horribly sorry for them or to be happy they weren't in his position.

Master David sighed softly and turned back around in his seat. Lee turned his gaze somewhere appropriate.

From there, the silence went unbroken for ages, except for the faint clicking of the horses' hooves. On the outside, Lee tried his best to look the part of a newly acquired pleasure slave. But, on the inside, he was already working. He was taking in the scenery passing by him through the window on his left. He focused hard on the turns they took, trying to store them to memory.

Every so often, he would briefly flick his eyes over to Master David, to assure himself that he had not caught on yet. If he had, he did an excellent job of hiding it. In fact, he was looking out the window most the time as well.

Most the scenery was rolling or flat land, green and fertile, but still flat. Occasionally there was a small pack of trees, but they were few and far between. It wasn't long before signs of civilization showed up. It was subtle at first, small farms and houses dotting the landscape. Then…

A town.

But, this town was so different. Literally, it was like he had been taken to a completely different world. The houses were built with foreign design, large and tall with visible brown support on the outside. The store fronts displayed odd varieties of foods, some of which Lee didn't recognize. The signs themselves were in strange, illegible characters.

But, even though they fought with each other constantly, the lands that made up their continent largely spoke the same language and used the same scripture. There were variations, but they were never so drastically different.

Lee's heart sank. There was no telling how far away from Konoha he was!

But, the town wasn't very large and they passed through it quickly. But, the feeling of civilization didn't stop there. About half a mile later, they reached their destination.

Even before the coach rocked to a halt, Lee was speechless. Through the window, he could see the same foreign house design, but dilated to an impressive size. Wide French doors and balconies extending from windows wide as doorways made the house look like something out of a fairy tale. If the coach hadn't confirmed his previous suspicions this did.

The selling of slaves was a _very_ profitable business.

He had to get up slowly, testing his legs to see if they'd hold him before he stepped out behind Master David. He took a quick glance at his surroundings before dropping his gaze again.

Master David didn't feel the need to speak. He set his left hand on his shoulder and led him towards the extravagant house. Lee noticed that some of the plants bordering the pathway weren't native to this region, or any region he had been to. They were very pretty, but they were strange.

Master David took his time getting to the dark mahogany door that protected the entrance of the house. Then, with an almost childish smirk, he pushed it open.

It opened to an almost over elaborate foyer. The floors and walls were made of granite and marble. Frames of art from all over hung in niches on the walls. A huge stairway took up most the frontal view, leading up to a second story. There so many elaborate doorways, it would take days to examine the rooms behind them. Even on the lower level, there were hallways and doors leading to the rest of the house.

Lee frowned. This door appeared to be the main door _and_ the only way out.

Master David waited patiently as Lee struggled to take in what was occurring. He let him stare open-mouthed for several minutes before he gestured towards a half-open door to their right.

"My office is here, for when I work at home," Master David sighed and brushed a strand of hair back into his loose ponytail. "Honestly, love, it will be nice to have an extra set of hands around here. This place almost is more hassle then it's worth."

Lee suppressed a grimace. The idea of working in an office always had and still physically appalled him. But, he kept his opinion to himself and trailed quietly behind Master David as the tour continued.

Their next stop was the main living area, the door less room directly in front of them. It was built to entertain parties of unusually large size. A variety of comfortable seating, from exquisite chairs to simple bamboo mats, were strategically placed with an assortment of tables to accommodate any body's likings. But, Lee's eyes were drawn to the wall opposite of the door. It was almost completely taken up by a single pane window. Outside, was an exquisite garden like the one bordering the pathway, except larger and more elaborate.

Master David chuckled. "It took a lot of time and effort to make that garden, but I think it turned out nicely, don't you?"

Lee's mind was whirring too quickly to speak, so all he did was nod absently.

"Would you care to see more?"

Lee followed his Master, splitting his attention between listening to him, examining his surroundings and, admittedly, examining Master David.

After a few rooms, Lee was able to guess Master David was over thirty, but not by much. He was unsure of why there were such deep lines on his face, but Lee knew he was not as old as he appeared. He was about as tall as Gai-sensei, maybe even an inch or two taller. But, even as a proven business man, Master David was not out of shape. He wasn't quite ninja standards, but he looked as if he had been at one point.

"-and that about does it for downstairs," concluded Master David with a sigh. "This is mostly for business affairs and other such nonsense. Most my personal life is spent upstairs."

They climbed the stairs up to the second story. The stairs came to a halt in front of a small inset in the wall, in which there was elaborate double-doors. But, on either side of the stairs, there was a ten-foot wide hallway. Two doors on the left, two on the right.

With a gesture to the left, Master David simply said, "Those are merely guest rooms. There isn't anything special about them, but they're comfortable. But, if you'll look to your right-"

The first door on the right opened to a library easily sixty by thirty feet. Every inch of it was lined with oak shelves packed with bound books and scrolls. Plush red carpeting extended fully into it and chairs for comfortable lounging were strategically placed throughout.

Lee glanced at a few of the titles while Master David showed off his elaborate collection. Most of the books were written in a foreign language. But, the labels on the scrolls showed that many of them were on the art of ninjitsu. A small thrill ran down his spine when he found a section dedicated to taijutsu.

They exited the library and continued to the second door on the right.

With a sweeping gesture, Master David opened the door and said, "This is your room."

The first word that came to mind was _white._ Everything in the room was white, from the carpet to the furniture. A dresser was next to the door, a full-body mirror and a king-sized bed off to the right.

Lee ran a practiced eye over the bed, but there were no visible restraints or rings for bondage. But, there was the possibility of things being hidden elsewhere and the bedspread hid the floor and bed legs from view. There were many things that could hide under a bed.

Regardless, the room was still big to him and the decoration ideas were endless with a literally blank canvas.

Master David led him over to a door on the opposite wall. On the other side was a walk-in closet with extensive storage for anything he could think up. But, oddly enough, it was completely barren.

"We'll go shopping tomorrow and make good use of this space," David said, almost to himself. He grinned. "That, of course, means I'll have to be ready to part with a lot of my hard earned notes."

Lee gave him a surprised look. Surely he wasn't serious.

He was. He intended to make use of that closet. Lee suppressed a frown. He didn't know what kind of game Master David was playing with him, but he was sure he'd find out what the price of all this would be eventually.

Another door went to a bathroom, which like the room, was splendid in its own, but well open for decoration.

But, the final door led them to something Lee had missed to the point of depression.

It was an extensive exercise room. All the equipment he had obtained at home was there, if not of better quality.

He leaned heavily against the wall. To him, this was more beautiful then any sunrise. For months, what time wasn't spent behind metal bars was spent restrained for a client. He missed the burn of work and the feeling of accomplishment when he collapsed in bed, knowing he had gotten stronger that day.

Now, he could do it again.

"Lee-kun?"

Lee stood back up so fast his head spun for a moment. He swayed uneasily, but Master David set a strong hand on his shoulder.

"It's been a long day, Lee-kun, and you're used to being asleep by now. You should get some sleep and we'll talk again tomorrow."

Then, he leaned down and kissed him softly on the forehead.

Lee watched him turn to leave. He swallowed hard. "Master David?"

The man stopped and turned around. Lee averted his eyes for a moment before he asked, "What is the cost of this?"

"Cost? Well, I never kept up with the finances of it-"

"No, I mean… what do you want from me?"

"From you? Oh, love," Master David took a seat on the bed and motioned for Lee to sit next to him. "I do not expect much from you. You see, I have a housekeeper as it is. Her name is Mariam. She's a lovely woman and has been taking care of the house since I was a child. You'll meet her tomorrow. But, as you can imagine, the years have taken their toll on her and, though she refuses to admit it, she will need help around the house."

Lee tilted his head a little, waiting for the inevitable.

Master David went on. "You will pretty much take orders from her, since I sleep during the day and am gone most of the night. She'll make sure you know what you're doing. It said in your profile that you lived alone in an apartment, is that correct?"

Lee jumped a little as he remembered that his Master knew everything about him. He shook his head a little to clear it. "Yes, sir."

"Can you cook?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. It'll take getting used to, but Mariam will warm up to a second set of hands," Then, Master David adjusted his position so he was facing him directly. "While here I will have a variety of visitors. Sometimes I will be tied up with work. When that happens, you will be responsible for entertaining them. Likewise I frequently hold dinner parties and other events downstairs. You will act as host for those events and see that my guests are kept happy."

Lee's head dropped a little lower with every word until his chin was touching his chest. Now he knew the cost of such extravagant living.

"-But, if any of my guests lay an improper finger on you, I will personally cut it off."

Lee's head snapped up in surprise.

Master David smirked wickedly. "So sorry, love, but I cannot have you stealing the spotlight with your tricks."

Lee was now confused. Life at the Bar had taught him only to entertain by manner of sex. He had been trained specifically for it. Now, in possession of the man who ordered that training, he was not required to perform. But, what was the catch?

"And… you, Master David?"

"Lee-kun, I have many friends that will bare witness to my respect to my clients, staff and rivals. This respect will be extended to you, as well. Yes, love, I want you. You are growing up to be a wonderful young man. But, I want more then sex. I want your complete and total submission. I will accept no halfway measures. You will either be mine completely or not at all. Until then, I will not force myself on you."

Lee was stunned. He tried to process it, to comprehend what his Master was saying, what a choice he was giving him. He couldn't find the words to reply with. Luckily, Master David left no room for reply.

"But, don't think you get off completely, love. I love to look. Mariam would never have it, but whenever I find time to be alone with you, I want you to be shirtless. There will be light touching, but nothing worse then what I would do to a son, or at worst, a first cousin. I also reserve the right to kiss you when I am pleased."

Lee sat there and stared at Master David. He tried to digest what he had said and done, but the day was rapidly catching up with him. Instead of speaking, he yawned wide.

Master David chuckled and kissed his forehead again. "I hope that puts your mind at ease, love. It has been a very long day and you need to get some sleep for tomorrow."

Lee watched him get up and leave. He heard the door click shut behind him. He frowned, crossed the room and tried the doorknob. It was locked. Lee almost felt relieved. Finally, something made sense. He went back and sat down on the bed. He set his chin in his hand and stared hard at the opposite wall.

He did not know what to make of Master David, but he did know one thing. He had received more information in this single day then in months of sexual labor, and he had access to more then Naruto and Kiba could get their hands on. That information was slowly forming into something that almost resembled a plan.

But, there were monstrous gaps and so many what-ifs, putting it into action was out of the question. His frown deepened. He had hoped it wouldn't end up like this. Lee could admit his shortcomings and planning was one of them.

He flopped back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. But, the thoughts whirled around in his head and soon he found himself dropping off the edge of consciousness into a deep slumber.


	11. The Escape Plan, Part One

Rock Lee was unable to sleep, as he had been for three days. This was the time when his mind worked best, between the sweaty burn of a work out and the sweet bliss of sleep. His mind whirred almost faster then he could comprehend it.

He had come to this house with a fear of what to come and the mental preparation he had thought he would need for it. But, he had been faced with the enigma of a man who whisked him off to malls and lavished him with things he wouldn't need in a million years while expecting very little in return. He had not even required him to have intercourse with him, though it was well within his power to do so.

That is what confused Lee the most. What a paradox it was. A man who made a hefty living by selling the bodies of former ninjas, but not partaking in the services he offered.

With a loud sigh, Lee turned over in bed and stared at the opposite wall.

Master David was very odd. He was very trusting for a business man. He trusted Lee to stay with Mariam and pretty much be co-executive of the house. It was his job to work as Mariam's younger arms, doing the things she grudgingly couldn't do efficiently anymore. Admittedly, Lee couldn't complain. So long as the place was in order and the kitchen well stocked, Master David was pleased.

He huffed hard and flipped over onto his back.

What was wrong with him? Why couldn't he think up a flawless plan when he had such resources on his hands? He could ask for a sacrificial goat and dagger and Mariam would casually put it on their list.

He tried to think of what his friends would do in his position.

Naruto?

Lee snorted. He suspected Naruto would have been Master David's dessert the first evening. He could easily imagine Naruto slinking out of his clothes, climbing up on the table, spreading his legs wide to expose his erect cock and saying, "Take me, Master!" in a low, sexy voice. Naruto would have loved to pleasure Master David early and often, and would have found a way to use it to his advantage.

Kiba?  
Lee actually had to laugh out loud at the images that came to his head. Kiba would have been as bad if not worse then Naruto. He would have dived into a temporary life with a wealthy master with abandon. He could easily imagine a withered and exhausted Master David attempting to crawl from the bed, while Kiba dragged him back by his legs, imploring, "Just one more time!"

Lee laughed even harder, struggling to keep it from waking up the entire house. He could imagine Kiba showing Master David forms of sex play God himself probably hadn't intended humans to engage in, each more extreme and scandalous then the next.

Several minutes later, Lee wiped tears of laughter from his eyes and settled back into his contemplative thoughts.

While they were outrageous as bed partners, both Naruto and Kiba had a single goal and that was to be free again. They both would have used their time much better and would have been working on putting a plan into action.

But, Lee was critical of his plans. He couldn't think of a plan in which the stops were pulled and the flaws fixed. He could have attempted many of them, even if it meant being dragged back and executed, if it was just him. He could not risk the lives of Naruto and Kiba like he could his own.

But, what was he supposed to do?

-----

Lee hid a yawn behind his hand, shifting the bags on his arm. He was helping Mariam with her shopping again and she was about to show off her skills. The old woman frowned expectantly at a display of vegetables and proceeded to make a deal with the man in charge of them in a foreign language.

Lee just stood patiently as she worked. It wasn't as if he understood enough to be of any help. In three days of being nearly engulfed by the dialect, he had figured out 'I' and 'you' . It was a very slow process and he doubted that he'd ever be fluent. But, he hoped he would never have to be.

Then, he heard it.

He turned around. Across the street, a little girl in a sundress was jumping up and down, grabbing at the doll held just out of her reach. Surrounding her, there were four boys who couldn't be more then two or three years younger then Lee was. They tossed the doll from one to the other, laughing as the girl rushed after it.

Lee frowned, looking around at the people casually going about their daily lives. Why was no one doing anything? Surely they weren't _that_ busy. He looked back at the little girl. She was now just standing in the middle of the circle, half-heartedly jumping as the doll went over her head. She sniffed and tears spilled down her cheeks.

Lee set the bags in his hands down close to Mariam and quickly crossed the street. The little girl looked up as he approached, but the boys were busy tossing the doll to each other and taunting her when she didn't jump for it. When a blonde boy threw it over her again, Lee intercepted the doll before it reached its destination. The entire group went silent and turned on him.

Then, they snapped at him. Lee couldn't understand a word, but he had a pretty good idea of what they were saying. He ignored them and simply held the doll out to the little girl. She stared for a moment before taking the doll in one hand. Her hand fell to her side and she continued to stare. Lee gave her a small smile. Then, he turned sharply on the boys who had gathered behind the girl.

Their leader, a boy with a bandage across his left cheek, decided the girl was no longer worth the trouble. With a jerk of his head, he and his friends darted away.

Lee sighed. He had gotten lucky. He turned back to the little girl, who was still sniffing softly and wiping her eyes. He looked over his shoulder. Mariam was still arguing with the vegetable salesmen.

_"Wie hei__b__en Sie?"_

Lee quickly turned back to the girl. "Excuse me?"

She stared at him like he had just swore at her. _"W-was?!"_

Lee chuckled softly. He shrugged. She just stared for a moment, blinking slowly as if she were taking in the fact another language existed. Then, one hand shakily went up to point at herself.

"S-Sophie. _I-Ich bin_ Sophie."

"Sophie… That is a cute name," Following her example, Lee pointed to himself. "I am Rock Lee."

She pointed to him. "_Sie sind…_ Rock Lee?"

"Yes."

"I… a-a…"

Lee had to stare for a moment until he realized she was trying to mimic him. "I… am…"

"I… a-am… Sophie?"

Lee nodded. "Yes. You are Sophie."

"I… a-am… Sophie. _Ich bin _Sophie!"

Lee smiled a little. "And _ich bin_ Rock Lee."

"_Sie sind _Rock Lee!"

"_Sie sind _Sophie."

They went back and forth several times. Then, Lee smiled and stood up. "I have to go, Sophie-chan. It was nice meeting you."

Sophie stared up at him, looking like a forgotten puppy. "Rock Lee? _Wohin gehen Sie?"_

Lee smiled and waved. "Goodbye, Sophie-chan."

Lee turned to cross the street again. Sophie grabbed his hand assertively. _"Nien! Ich gehe auch!"_

"What?"

She pointed to herself, across the street and then shook her fist for emphasize as she repeated herself.

"Oh…"

"_Ich gehe auch!"_

Lee sighed softly and crossed the street, Sophie attached to his hand. Mariam was putting the final touches on her argument and the salesman was looking absolutely stunned. With a wave of her hand, she sealed the deal. Lee picked up her bags in one arm.

Mariam took her bag of vegetables with an accomplished smile and turned to Lee. Her smile quickly turned to surprise. She looked between Sophie and Lee. She raised an eyebrow at him. He shrugged. Mariam put her hands up, shaking her head in resignation. Sophie insisted on getting her bag and together the three walked along the market.

Throughout the trip, Sophie would point things out and say them in her language. Lee would say them in Japanese. Then, they would repeat each other. It turned quickly into a game and even Mariam joined in at a few places, either to correct them or to point things out to them. Being a ninja had made him quick to memorize things and in a short two hours, Lee's vocabulary had grown considerably more then it had over the past week.

But, it seemed too soon when they reached the outskirts of the town, stocked with the things they would need for the day. Mariam took the bags Sophie had been carrying and shooed her away. She waved over her shoulder as she ran back into town, her doll bouncing at her side. Lee watched, a thrill running down his nerves. He was nervous.

"Will… she be alright? Going all by herself?"

"It's a small town," replied Mariam, putting her things in the carriage with a heave. "Everyone knows everyone and she runs around town all the time unsupervised."

"She is awfully young for that," Lee set his bags down and took another glance at the town. It wasn't unusual to see young students of the Academy running willy-nilly around Konoha. He had done so since he was six. Sophie looked like she was about five and she didn't have the training he had received.

"She'll be fine. She's gotten home alright for months now."

That didn't ease Lee's nerves, but he tried to convince himself Mariam was right. With a final look over his shoulder, he stepped into the carriage and the world was shut outside again.

About two hours later, Lee found himself faced with a menacing foe.

Boredom.

There were no deliveries, service crews or even potential clients coming in that day. Mariam had gone up to her house around the side of the mansion and was catching up with her favorite author. The finances were caught up, the pantry was well stocked and Master David had gone to visit a business manager in another town early that morning and wasn't due home until late that night.

He had the entire day free.

He planned to spend it in the living room, curled up with a glass of tea and a tactical scroll masquerading as one on taijutsu.

He walked into the living room and set his things down on the coffee table. He looked at the couch and a mischievous grin spread across his face. He took a glance around the room. Master David had said he wasn't being monitored, but even if he was he doubted he would get into severe trouble for what he was about to do.

He jumped up and flopped down on his back across the heavy cushions on the couch. He rolled around several times to situate himself on the couch. He felt something press hard against his ribcage. He flipped over and felt under the cushions with one hand, fishing out the object.

His mouth fell open.

It was a roll of bank notes, tightly held together by a rubber band.

It had probably fallen out of a visiting client's pocket on accident. He doubted it held any more then enough for dinner if no one had come looking for it. He pulled off the rubber band and carefully counted the notes.

As each one passed, his mouth inched farther and farther open until it wouldn't anymore. He was still counting.

Two hundred fifty thousand dollars worth of notes, in hundreds.

That was years worth of genin missions.

It had to be returned so Master David could find the owner. He got up and walked towards the door, to go tell Mariam of it. He'd say a few words, hand it over to her and everything would be taken care of for him. But, his footsteps slowed as he approached the door.

It had been two days since Master David last entertained. Obviously, whoever lost it didn't want anyone to know it was gone if they hadn't come back for it. It could be mad money. A surprise gift. A cache some young man had stolen from his parents. He doubted it was counterfeit or illegally gained. Master David didn't seem to approve of those kind. In his home, at least.

He stopped in the doorway. If he simply didn't tell Mariam or Master David about it, he could keep it. Such an action would be a glaring act of rebellion and could easily give Master David a reason to severely punish him, if not condition him. Kind as he was, he would not ignore such a deed.

Lee walked back into the living room and sat down in front of the window. He stared outside. He didn't see the extravagant garden, though. He only saw the good and the bad possibilities of what could occur if he didn't tell his master what he had found.

The sun was just hitting the tops of the trees when he came to a decision. He stood up and walked upstairs.

He was going to attempt an escape. It scared him to think of the consequences of failure, but he was certain he could be out of the house and lost before Master David even got home.

He walked into his room and went straight for his closet. Grabbing a bag from one of the hooks, he packed two sets of clothes, one for Naruto, the other for Kiba. He quickly changed into something he could easily move in. He slipped on a pair of good running shoes and placed the bank notes in the bag with the clothes.

He stepped out of his closet, pulling the bag onto his shoulders. He looked around carefully. Then, he was running. His shoes made a soft tapping noise against the hard wood floor as he darted from his room and down the stairs. He slowed and grabbed the door handle. He pulled it open and stepped outside.

That's as far as he got before flaws became so blatantly obvious, he was almost sick.

It was the end of the day. Sessions would just be starting and there would be hundreds of men who could recognize his face if he _dared_ to go there.

There was no way of telling if a single day was enough to get to the next town from the bar. He would have to pick up more supplies somewhere before he got there.

The only town between him and the bar was the foreigners' town and everyone already knew he was Master David's new slave.

Master David had those black ninjas at his command. He could have them track Lee and anyone he was with down and drag them kicking and screaming back to be conditioned.

"Damn it."

Lee turned around and pushed the door open again. Reluctantly, he stepped back into the mansion. The door slid shut behind him. He just stared blankly at the floor for several minutes. Finally, he sighed. He raised his eyes and started to take a step, only to stop dead.

Two icy blue eyes stared at him from the center of the room.

Lee dropped to his knees and placed his forehead on the marble floor. He was shaking.

Master David stepped forward and stared down at Lee's prone form. Wordlessly, he extended his right hand and snapped his fingers. Mutely, Lee sat up and handed over his bag before dropping his head back to the marble tile.

Master David looked through the contents of the bag.

"You had everything you needed to escape. Money, clothing, a good head start…"

He paused.

"Why didn't you leave?" He sounded almost puzzled.

"I… I do not know," Lee lied quietly.

Master David bounced the strap of the bag in one hand for several minutes before he closed his hand tightly around it.

"Get up and go to bed, Lee. I will punish you tomorrow for trying to escape."


	12. Facing Punishment

Rock Lee stood in front of his bathroom's mirror, staring at the stranger looking back at him. He looked terrible. He was exhausted and his face bore the evidence of a night of crying. Dark circles hung under his eyes and his gaze was dull, as if life itself had been drained from him. He had not slept last night. Fear had left him trembling too badly to hope to fall into a restless sleep. He had considered trying to escape again, but without those banknotes, he would have had a very difficult time getting himself and two others to another country.

He knew he was not alone, too. Master David was no fool. That was obvious. A frightened ninja was an unpredictable one.

His best chance was over and done with.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He clenched his jaw. Why was he not strong any more? He could remember being defiant, being hopeful, being full of the fight for freedom. Where was that now? Where had his will for life gone? This was pathetic! To know that he had such fighting skill, but when the crunch time came, he would drop to his knees and surrender!

He glared at the stranger in the mirror, who just glared right back. Lee had his reasons for what he had done!

_I was in the right, _Lee told himself firmly. _Master David is stronger then I am, I know he is. I gave up so that I might live another day to plan an escape for Naruto-kun and Kiba-kun. I had done what I needed to! What good would I have been, hunted down like a rabbit? The plan was flawed. I know what I did was right! I know it was! I __**know**__ it!_

He clenched his fists at his side and turned his back on the stranger in the mirror. He had been perfectly in touch with his inner shinobi. He was going to escape one day. But not today. Today, he was going to have to face Master David and any form of sadistic torture he had thought up over the course of the day. Moreover, he would do it as Gai-sensei would have.

_Bravely,_ Lee told himself. _I will survive and I will be free again. I will not be tamed._

Lee stepped out of his bathroom and out of his room, walking calmly down the hallway to meet Master David in front of the master bedroom.

Even in casual clothing, Master David looked formal. A white, button-down shirt exposed the top half of his chest and close fitting black pants held his frame nicely. His socks were black as well. However, despite his more laid-back appearance, Lee could feel a sense of seriousness that radiated off him.

He took up a wide stance in front of him, dropping his gaze, but remaining standing.

Master David walked to a blank section of wall and set his fingers on three spots on the wall in rapid sequence.

_Click._

A hidden door. The entrance to Master David's private dungeon.

Master David did not even turn to look at him. He simply walked through the doorway and Lee followed, taking a quick glance up to examine the place. It was _just_ like the Dark Room, the room in which he had received his piercings and many times later various forms of 'punishment'. His stomach dropped.

Master David stopped at a simple bench drawn up against the far wall. On the wall above it were a set of manacles attached with short chains to a heavy steel plate. The large bolts ensured the victim would not be able to escape by pulling the manacles from the wall.

"Sit."

Lee sat down in the middle of the bench and watched his master carefully. Master David began by securing his wrists in the manacles. He went to a nearby hook and removed several coils of leather straps and four thin cuffs. Lee felt him secure the cuffs to his ankles and to his thighs just above his knees.

Master David stood on the bench briefly and looped one long leather strap onto a hook hanging from the ceiling by a chain. The ends of the strap fell to a point about six inches above Lee's knees.

Master David knelt and used a short leather strap to secure Lee's ankle cuffs together. He tied two more leather straps to the outside of his ankle cuffs, but left them free.

Master David stood up again and tied one end of the long strap hanging from the ceiling to Lee's left thigh cuff.

"Lift both of your legs up from the bench."

Lee leaned back against the wall and lifted his feet as high as he could. Master David tied the free end of the leather strap to his right thigh.

"Drop your legs."

Lee let his legs fall. The strap held his thighs well off the bench, but he could lower one leg if he raised the other. Master David picked up the free strap on his right ankle cuff and tied it loosely to the leg of the bench. He repeated the procedure with the other strap. Satisfied with Lee's bonds, he stepped back and surveyed his work.

Lee could not help but survey it, too. He was impressed with Master David's work. There were plenty of men who had come in, bound his wrists together and called it bondage. This arrangement allowed him considerable mobility while restraining him from moving too far. He returned his gaze to Master David. He approved.

"Since you have developed a case of 'happy feet', I believe it's only fitting that _they_ suffer the substances of this session."

Lee's outer indifference faltered. Master David's grave voice unnerved him.

Master David walked towards a cabinet a few feet away. He pulled something from inside and hid it behind his back. He paced forward and stood three feet in front of Lee in a wide stance. He simply stared at him for several seconds while Lee squirmed in dread under his gaze.

Then, he slowly revealed the instrument of his torture.

A single, white feather.

Lee was conscious of his mouth hanging open, but he could not bring himself to close it. Master David stepped forward, leaning down and flicking the tip of the feather over Lee's nose. "I hope you like laughing, young man!"

Lee tried to respond to that, but his mouth just moved a little before falling back open.

Master David chuckled. "I would like to simply turn the other cheek, love, but I'm afraid you've done something I cannot overlook. But, believe me. This maybe child's play in comparison to the things you've seen, but when I'm done with you, you'll think twice before going anywhere."

Lee closed his mouth and simply averted his gaze. He had to admit that he was getting off very lightly. Master David leaned in and placed a single kiss on Lee's forehead. Then, he slid in until his breath played across Lee's right ear. "You know your safe words, love. Red, yellow and green."

Now Lee was even more confused as Master David moved back to his standing position. Had he seriously just given Lee a way to end his punishment? There was _nothing_ right about that.

"Let's get on with this, shall we?"

Master David sat down cross-legged in front of Lee. With a mischievous smirk, he lightly pushed Lee's left foot up and stroked the edge of the feather along the sole. He paid close attention, too. Every time Lee took a quick intake of breath or jerked his foot back, he seemed to smile that much more. He repeated the process many times, varying pressure and angles to find which one produced the best results.

Once he had a good idea of where the tender spots were he moved on to Lee's right sole and, much to Lee's discomfort, started the process again.

Lee was conscious of his captor's handiwork. He was trying not to give Master David anything to work with, but it was difficult. He had never faced this kind of torture. He was not sure if he liked it or not. It made him jump around a bit, but it was fairly agreeable.

Then, Master David caught his eyes with his almost boyish blue ones. He just stared for a moment, a large grin appearing on his face.

Then, an electric thrill lanced straight up Lee's leg. He could not help it. He laughed at the top of his lungs as the tickling registered. Master David twirled the feather between his thumb and forefinger, working it teasingly up and down Lee's arch until the boy was laughing so hard, tears spilled down his cheeks.

After about five minutes, Master David stopped. Lee slumped back against the wall, still giggling. He was breathing hard, but he was still in good shape. He peered at Master David down his body, noticing that he had a sly, almost pleased look on his face. He examined his body, a light pink blush spreading across his cheeks. He had been aware of the view his Master had, but his blush was for the hardness coming to his pierced nipples. He was now aware of it, and by the look on Master David's face, so was he.

When Lee's breathing returned to normal, Master David released his foot and switched to the other one. Cruel as one could be with a feather, Master David began working it up, down and between Lee's toes. Lee could not move his foot, but his toes reflexively wriggled from the touch. He tried to stop, but it took only a few minutes to have him in a fit of giggling again.

Master David suddenly pulled the feather's edge completely up Lee's calf and under his knee. Electric jolts shot up his leg. He squeaked unbecomingly before falling back into an embarrassingly loud bout of laughter.

Master David seemed to drag it out for hours, though in reality it could not have been more then twenty minutes. He had Lee laughing and squealing the entire time, sometimes pulling sounds from him that were in no way fit to come from any masculine voice. Master David took a short break to get a visual check on his slave. Sweat beaded Lee's body, slowly rolling down his face as he panted to suck in any air he could around fits of giggling. But, he was alright.

The blonde man stood up and unbuttoned his shirt. He pulled it off, aware of his slave's curious eyes. He tossed it aside and tightened his hair tie, giving Lee a chance to examine his master's physique. It was not bad. It was obvious it had been a few years since he had seen a training field, but there was nothing unpleasant about the lightly blonde-haired chest.

The man took a seat next to Lee and put a firm arm around his shoulders. Lee gave it a confused glance before turning his attention back to the feather. He regretted taking his eyes of it. He squirmed, but his Master's arm prevented him from escaping as the feather made light contact with his right nipple. He felt the feather's tiny barbs grab the tender flesh as Master David brushed the feather's vane in long, smooth strokes across it. The hooks pulled ever so slightly before letting go, sending little webs of electricity through his chest and down to his crotch.

His laughter was half overrun by a small moan. However, Master David was not going to let up. He switched his attention to the other. Lee tried to push his body away, but the wall behind him and his master's arm held him firmly. He was trapped. However horribly delightful the sensation was, Lee was not prepared for his next move.

A large shudder followed the trail of the white feather down Lee's abdomen. Lee's eyes snapped open and the manacles snapped sharply as his body jerked in response to Master David running the feather up and down his member. The repeated application and release of pressure as the barbules slid over the tender flesh was electric.

He struggled valiantly against the straps, helplessly trying to protect himself from his Master's ministrations. But, it was useless. Master David had picked up tricks at the bar, too. He seemed to know where to run the edge of the feather to make Lee's squeals turn to deep-throated moans.

Suddenly, Master David pressed his lips over Lee's open mouth and twisted his tongue over Lee's. That was too much for him. Lee pulled back, clenched his teeth and moaned loudly as orgasm momentarily blanked out everything.

It was intense, to say the least. He fell limp in his bonds and even some gentle prodding with the feather could not induce much of a response. Master David set the feather on the bench, got up and left the room.

Lee dazedly watched him go. When the effects of orgasm began wearing off, he was alone. He pressed his lips together and closed his eyes. This had happened a few times before, where he had been dazed by the effects of a well-sought orgasm. It had usually ended badly, for he was supposed to stay alert and responsive to his master at all times. He cursed with his limited allowed vocabulary. He could have lasted twice as long if Master David had not…

Lee's tongue lightly ran over his lips.

He stayed there for a while. He began to get nervous. Master David had to be fairly offended if he was gone for so long. He shifted a little in his bonds, his body still sluggish as the afterglow wore off. His arms and shoulders were getting stiff and his ribs and back were actually beginning to hurt from all the laughing. He ran over a time line in his head. He estimated that he had been shackled to the wall for about two hours now.

When Master David returned, he was bearing glasses of cold drink. Lee was still hanging in his bonds, but his eyes were alert again. Master David was now sporting light blue jeans. Unconsciously, Lee stared at them as his Master took a seat next to him. Seeing the direction of his gaze, Master David chuckled and winked.

"You weren't the only one to get off this time, love."

For some reason, that tore Lee up. He dropped his eyes. He knew he had done something wrong. Perhaps it was all the training he had gone through that made him feel that way, but he knew a slave that could not pleasure his own master was all but useless. Regardless of his feelings on sex or Master David, Lee knew that much.

He sobbed softly.

Master David's arm was suddenly around his shoulders. "Lee-kun? Love, what is it?"

Lee stubbornly kept his eyes closed and refused to look at him. Master David clicked his tongue. "Love, don't be like that. You know very well that you owed me nothing tonight. If you had surrendered to me willingly, then I would have, but you have yet to. I have told you that I will not force myself on you. You have nothing to be ashamed of."

Lee still refused to look at him; perhaps for fear that his Master might see that his tears had nothing to do with him.

"Besides," Master David continued with a smile. "Quick, repetitive motions strengthen the wrist."

Lee chuckled softly. Master David brushed the tears from his cheeks. Master David picked up one of the glasses. He held up one of the drinks to Lee's lips, who eagerly drank down the cold, tart liquid. It seemed to help revive him. A few moments later, he was sitting back up and alert again.

Master David peered at him from over his glass. "I'm surprised at you."

"Why?"

"You seemed unusually drained by your orgasms, Lee. Why's that?"

Okay, maybe Lee's predictions needed some more work. He was not sure what he was supposed to say to that. "It… it has been awhile."

"Awhile? It could not have been that long ago. A week ago, you were still in service and I assume that with my long periods of absence-" Master David's voice trailed off as he watched the unchanging expression on Lee's face. "Oh..."

Lee tilted his head a little. "Master?"

"I hadn't thought about your mind set, Lee-kun. I should have predicted that you wouldn't pleasure yourself without my permission. I assumed that with free range of the house and its various items and enough free time, you were having quite the time while I was away."

Despite his predicament, Lee could not help but snort softly. Master David obviously did not know him well enough.

"Excuse my gross oversight, love. From now on, you may do what you wish while I am away," Master David gave him a friendly wink. "-and I will expect to be unable to touch anything in my house without wondering where it's been."

Lee spent the next several seconds laughing at the very idea of it. However, as his laughter died down again, he realized that his Master had given him a wonderful gift. He had just given him back the control of his own body, a right that had been reserved completely to masters until that point. He doubted he would take advantage of it, but still.

"Well, I think you're ready to go on."

A quick look down confirmed that Lee's nipples were erect again and the slightest bit of stiffness was returning to his member. He blushed.

Master David picked up the feather and returned to his place on the floor. "This is the final part of your punishment, love. Remember your safe words."

The idea of it stung Lee's pride. He was _not_ going to be defeated that easily. He had experienced hell in comparison to this. Silently, he made a promise to himself that if he safe worded out of this, he would spend the next five hours in a non-stop work out. It gave him a nostalgically burning want inside.

Master David grasped his left foot in his hands.

Lee gritted his teeth in anticipation. He closed his eyes and waited for his Master to begin. His body was tense in expectation of him resuming his tickling.

Instead, Master David began massaging his sole with his thumbs. He rubbed his arch for several minutes. Lee chanced opening his right eye a crack. He saw him looking intently at his foot as he worked.

Apparently satisfied, Master David moved from his arch to just behind his toes. Lee jerked at his touch, but relaxed as he simply continued the foot massage. He had no idea what his Master was doing, but the steady pressure and rhythmic rubbing were having an effect on him. He soon found his entire body relaxing. He slid down until he hung limply in the chains. A satisfied smile crossed his face.

Master David had been waiting for Lee's guard to drop.

Lee shrieked with surprise as the feather was flicked up his arch and across the bottoms of his toes in rapid succession. He collapsed in his bonds in paroxysms of laughter that shook his body so hard, he thought he would surely lose that night's dinner.

Then, Master David abruptly returned to massaging his sole. Lee panted and watched him through half-lidded eyes as he slowly regained control over his tittering. Master David worked like a pro, finding small pressure points and working them softly until Lee had relaxed again.

The feather attacked his foot again. A series of light flicks covered his arch and made him bow his back and try to escape, but it was hopeless. He was forced to endure his Master's attention with the only release being gales of laughter. He laughed until he could not catch his breath.

Master David watched as he lay gasping, his head rolling limply on his shoulder. It took a minute, but Lee was eventually able to catch his breath. Master David dropped returned his attention to Lee's feet, switching to the right foot.

Lee now understood hi master's methods. Every time he relaxed, he would get him. As good as he was with his massage and that feather, he could be taken from complete relaxation to thrashing about in uncontrollable laughter as many times as his Master pleased. He looked down at his master and swallowed hard. Master David glanced up and responded with a truly wicked grin and a playful flick of the feather.

The punishment continued. The next few times Master David massaged his feet for about five minutes before attacking him, alternating between his right and left sole. It continued like that for what Lee guessed was around another two hours.

But, at the last minute, Master David abruptly changed his tactics. He took Lee's left big toe in his mouth and ran his tongue over it while suckling on it.

Lee shot straight up as electric sensations ran through his entire foot and up his leg to his crotch. Experience had taught him his feet and toes were hardwired for sexual enjoyment, but he had never experienced it like that. He shrieked in pure delight as Master David continued working over him over. He changed to his right toes and systematically took each into his mouth, ran his tongue around its base and tip while sucking on it hard, and then moved on to the next. Lee gasped and moaned loudly as second orgasm hit him harder then the last. His series of delighted screams filled the entire dungeon.

That was it. Lee collapsed in his bonds, drenched in sweat from his latest ordeal. He was gasping for breath and his eyes were glazed over. He was no longer responding to anything Master David tried. It was over.

Master David released him. He slumped down on the bench and lay motionless. He leaned over and picked him up. Lee was surprised at how easily he lifted him and the hard muscles he felt beneath his body. He took Lee back to his bathroom and placed him in the bath

Master David drew him a warm bath. He slipped under the surface and allowed the heat to take the pain and stiffness from his body. As he lay underneath the water, he realized his Master had been right. His rib cage did ache. However, it felt like he would be fine in a few hours. Had he been at the bar, he would have never gotten off so lightly.

Lee surfaced and looked around. Master David was gone. He frowned. What more did his master have in store for him?

The answer was unexpected. Five minutes later, Master David returned. He was carrying a large silver platter. In the center was a well-thought dinner of smoked salmon fillet, rice and soba. Surrounding it were crackers and small bowls with several different types of caviar. Two small wine glasses of a chilled white wine were arranged at either end. He carried the uncorked wine bottle in his free hand.

Master David set the platter down on the edge of the bath on Lee's right side. He half expected the older man to get in with him, but Master David remained a gentleman and did no such thing. He handed a glass to Lee. "It's dry."

"Oh," Lee could not think of a better thing to say at the moment. He took a drink the dry wine and nearly spat it out. Not because it was bad, that was not it. It was actually really good. Too good. He stared at the glass for a moment before going at it a little more carefully. He watched Master David over the rim of his glass. He seemed very happy for a man who had just punished a rebellious slave, if one could call it that.

Master David smiled and gestured to the platter of food. "Eat, love."

Lee did not need to be told twice. Such a long session of laughing was enough to make him almost ravenous. Regardless of never having eaten in a bathtub, he adapted quite well and managed to finish an hour-long meal within twenty minutes. As with the wine, seemingly common dishes seemed to melt in his mouth and it made him warm inside.

He was conscious of Master David's eyes on him the entire time, but he tried not to make it obvious. After around three glasses of wine and a small dozing off, Master David fetched a towel and got his slave out of the bath.

Later that night, Lee was lying in bed, half-awake, half-asleep. It was not his bed and Master David's strong, masculine presence was pressed against his right side. Physically, he was jelly. But, mentally, he was whirring. His situation did not seem to be that bad. Master David seemed to like him a lot, probably more then necessary. He was obviously happy that Lee had not run off on him and did not seem to wish any harm to him.

Nevertheless, this man was still the business leader of a sex-slave brothel and was still selling the bodies of two of his best friends.

Lee did not know what he was supposed to be thinking right now!

He sighed softly. Regardless, he was now free to plan again and, despite the disappearing ache in his ribs, he would. He was not sure when it was going to happen, but there was going to be a part two to this escape attempt.


	13. Problems at Home

Neji Hyuuga never thought he would be so happy to see Konohagakure in his life. If he could risk being seen anything less than perfectly composed, he would have dropped to his knees and kissed the ground. But, he left such nonsense to Gai-sensei and simply smiled slightly, which was all too rare nowadays.

Then, he turned a disapproving glare at Hinata Hyuuga, who had stood in as the temporary third man of their team. She was hesitating in front of the Hokage's tower, keeping her eyes averted so she would not have to make conversation. However, Gai-sensei had gotten very close to her over the months and promptly dragged her off to cry with him. Neji did not stop him, for to say Neji had not welcomed Hinata's presence on the mission would have been the biggest understatement of the century.

"I saw that."

Neji looked over to his female teammate, who put one hand on her hip and the other threateningly on her kunai holster. Neji eyed her carefully. "So?"

"Don't make me hurt you."

"Like you c-" Neji coughed hard rather then finish his sentence.

"That's right," Tenten took her hand away from her holster and put it on her hip. "What's wrong, Neji? I thought you'd be happy to be home again."

"Yeah, well…"

"We got paid pretty damn well."

Neji looked at the envelope in his hand. The sum inside was more then substantial and was just almost worth all the hardships they had faced while posted in that village. Almost. He sighed and tucked it safely in his kunai holster. "You really shouldn't swear, Tenten. It's unladylike."  
"Well, to hell with that."

Neji scoffed. "Wait until you start using language like that in front of Gai-sensei. I'm going to laugh as you run laps around Konoha."

"Like I laugh at you?"

"Harder."

Tenten chuckled and her brown eyes moved over Neji carefully. "Seriously, Neji… I'm worried about you. What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm tired."

"Tired of what?"

"Being tired."

Tenten sighed. "Neji."

"Look, there isn't anything _wrong._ If anything, something's wrong with you."

"Tch," Tenten looked around and scratched the back of her neck with a heavy breath. "Whatever, Neji. Y'know where I live. I'm going to take a shower and get something actually _suitable_ for eating."

"Good luck with that."

Tenten shook her head with a smile and turned to leave. Neji watched her go a few steps before he turned himself towards home. "Tenten."

He heard her stop. "Huh?"

"I kept seeing him."

Neji heard her take a sharp breath, but continued down the road, heading towards home. He had some serious cleaning to do. It was not long before he heard:

"Yo. Neji."

Neji was jerked from his thoughts of cleanliness and he turned to see a boy with a spiky ponytail practically dragging himself towards him.

"Ah, Shikamaru. What a surprise you're out of bed."

"Haha," Shikamaru finally made it to Neji's side. Neji had to slow down considerably to even talk to him. "So, how was the trip?"

Neji shuddered, leaving that to be enough answer.

"That bad, eh? Well, any stationary mission is troublesome. Believe me. My team is full of cowards, so that's mostly what we do, besides the normal genin work."

Neji looked over Shikamaru. "It doesn't seem like you'll be doing such things anymore. You've been promoted."

Shikamaru looked down at his Chunin vest. "Oh yeah. You missed the Chunin exams."

"I see that. How many others from Konoha made it?"

"Just me. It's not surprising. My team was really the only real rookies there. The rest of my graduating class is either waiting a year or ineligible because they're short a teammate."

"I see."

Shikamaru glanced at Neji from the corner of his eye. He yawned widely. "But, on a different topic, Shino's better."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. He got out of the hospital about a week after you left, only to find you had run off with his other teammate. He was ticked. Just a heads up in case you find your room infested with insects."

"I'll be on the look out."

Shikamaru frowned. "Y'know, I didn't go to the trouble of finding you to make small talk."

"Oh? Why have you then?"

"As troublesome as it is, the Hokage decided that since I'm the newest Chunin, my initiation was going to be telling you that we've found out the kidnapped ninjas are still alive."

Neji stopped dead. "What?"

"Your teammate, that Lee guy. We found proof he, Naruto and Kiba are still alive somewhere."

Neji turned to face him. He gave him the best Hyuuga death stare he could manage. "What kind of _proof?_"

Shikamaru was silent for a moment. Then, he scratched the back of his neck with a sigh. "It's just a packet of photos and a few pieces of paper. But, the Hokage only wants the senseis of the kidnapped ninjas to see them before they're locked up. Even if the evidence was open to the public, no one under Jounin would be allowed to see it. It's graphic. The only reason I've seen it is because I was on the team that intercepted the guy who owned the photos."

"Tell me what they're of."

"I can't. It's classified. Believe me. If I could release the information, I would."

"Show me the documents."

"I'm not authorized to show you anything. There's no use getting pissed at me."

"Fine." Neji turned on his heel and took three steps towards the Hokage's tower. Then, his body stiffened and refused to move. He looked down to see his shadow extending far behind him. Involuntarily, he turned around.

Shikamaru frowned at him. "He won't let you see them."

"He can't withhold this from me."

"He's the Hokage. He has your wellbeing in mind, as much as you don't like it. It'll be bad enough he has to deal with the emotions of the senseis when they see what those photos are of without dealing with you, too."

"Let go of me, Shikamaru."

"No. Neji, you aren't going to see it, no matter how much of a fit you throw."

"Then, why did you tell me about it? Are you a sadist?"

"No. The Hokage wanted you to know that your teammate was alive and restore the hope that he would be rescued. If you want my opinion, that should be enough for you."

Neji tried to find an argument, _desperately_ tried, but there was none to make. Shikamaru waited five minutes before he released Neji's shadow. When Neji did not bolt for the Hokage's tower, Shikamaru let his hands fall to his side. He walked forward and put one hand on Neji's shoulder. "If it makes you feel any better, the guy who had them is in prison and won't be going anywhere for years."

"You know his cell number?"

"Didn't bother to ask."

"Of course."

A long stretch of silence passed between the two ninja. Then, Shikamaru asked quietly, "You going to be alright?"

"No, you ass."

"I probably deserved that. Well, y'know I'm terrible at conversation. So, if you need someone to talk to who won't talk back too much, I'm your man."

"Whatever. I'm going home."

"Do I need to follow you?"

"Shut up."

Neji could feel Shikamaru's pitying gaze on his back as he walked away. Only when he turned the corner did the bored gaze leave him. He was tempted to turn and go straight to the Hokage's tower, but he had more sense then that.

------

_"YOSH! I knew it! I knew it, I knew it, I __**knew it!"**_

Kakashi tried not to say anything as Maito Gai practically danced around the Hokage's meeting room for the first time in what seemed to be forever. Kakashi wanted him to have the moment, especially since he had been so miserable for so long. But, it was when Gai attempted a horrendous impression of 'The Worm' that Kakashi decided that it was enough moment. "Gai."

"Yes?" The fact Gai was almost singing only made Kakashi feel worse.

"Please get up, Gai. You're embarrassing yourself."

"Oh please," Gai stood up, dusting off his vest. Raising a heavy eyebrow at Kakashi, he asked, "What's with the face, rival? You look as if you saw death."

"Gai, the Hokage wants you to see the photos proving Lee's alive."

"Ah! Wonderful! I was going to ask about them! Where are they?"

Kakashi pulled them from his vest. He hesitated for a moment. "Gai, what's on these… it's graphic."

Gai stared at his rival for a moment. The euphoria of the news seemed to be quickly wearing off. "What do you mean graphic?"

Kakashi sighed. "It's… just hard to look at, Gai. Here."

Gai took the envelope from his rival. With a glance toward him, he opened it and pulled out a thick stack of photos, turning them over in his hand

Gai looked as if he had been shot. He staggered slightly. He collapsed in a chair, his wide eyes never leaving the photos in his hand. Kakashi took a seat opposite of him and waited silently as Gai slowly flipped through the pictures. Gai seemed to be more and more aghast with each one, looking closer to horrified tears as each one passed.

He abruptly stopped before he even reached the halfway point. The pictures fell from Gai's shaking hands. They scattered across the floor.

Kakashi looked up slowly. A jab of sympathy twisted in his chest at the look of hurt and horror on his rival's face. "Gai."

"T-that was my student."

Kakashi averted his gaze. "Yes."

Kakashi nearly jumped when Gai suddenly exploded with a cry like that of a wounded beast. He grabbed the chair he was in and hurled it at the wall. It shattered, splinters of wood and dry wall showering the floor. Then, he fell to his knees, buried his face in his strong hands and wept.

Kakashi had known Gai long enough that he had believed until now that he had seen every kind of crying imaginable. But, Kakashi had never seen his rival like this. He sighed a little. He stood up and cross the small distance between him and Gai. He knelt and wrapped an arm around the man's shoulders. When Gai did not respond, he squeezed lightly. "I know it hurts, Gai. I might not be as close as I could be to him, but my student is there too. I know it hurts."

Gai looked up. His expression had changed so dramatically it sent shivers down Kakashi's spine. Fury contorted his features so badly he was barely recognizable. "Where's the bastard that had these?"

Kakashi stood up and stepped in front of Gai as the man moved towards the door with a deathly intent. "Gai, calm down-"

_"I will not!"_ Gai's voice had lost every hint of kindness. The fires of 'youth' in his eyes had been replaced with those of vengeance. "I am going to _kill_ the monster that did this!"

"No you aren't. Gai, you're just grieving-"

"Just grieving? Just _grieving?!_" Gai snatched one of the photos from the ground and shoved it in his rival's face. "Look at this, Kakashi! What kind of sick pervert can do _this_ to a thirteen-year-old boy? That man isn't even_ human!"_

Kakashi kept his eyes locked with Gai's. "Gai, I know how wrong it is. I've seen the man responsible and he's a real piece of work, but all we can do about it has been done already."

"What's been done? He's been locked away? Put in prison to be released in a decade or so to do it again?"

"Gai, I don't care if you're miserable or not. I'm not going to be spoken to like that, even if it _is _you. Now _sit __**down."**_

Kakashi now stood between a grieving man and his prey. He stared him down, meeting those dark, angry eyes with a stern gaze. Fists capable of crushing his skull were clenched at Gai's sides.

With a rough sigh, Gai averted his eyes and sat down in an unbroken chair.

Kakashi let out a silent sigh of relief. His tense shoulders fell. Kakashi reclaimed a seat opposite of Gai and drummed his fingers together softly. "Do you think the new Icha Icha Paradise book is going to come out anytime soon? I just finished the latest installment."

Gai glared at Kakashi, though his previous state of misery was quickly overtaking his fury. "How can you even think of reading that filth?"

"The books aren't about Naruto, y'know. If they were, I would have quit the series a long time ago."

"Do you feel _anything_, rival? Your student is being treated like… a _toy_ and yet you speak so casually of your filthy novels!"

"Of course I feel for him, Gai. It burns me up to know there is nothing I can do for him at this point except wait for the scum in prison to talk. But, you know as well as I do that there's no reason to let it get in the way of our normal lives."

"How can you _not?_ What am I suppose to do without my protégé?"

"Train with the rest of your team. Work with them. Make them stronger and be strong in return_._ Honestly, Gai, what kind of example are you setting? Falling apart like this. You aren't inspiring any confidence in your team, I can tell you that. You're lucky they aren't acting just like you."

Gai scoffed. "Don't make me laugh, rival. My team is strong, tough as nails. They don't 'fall apart'."

"Then follow their lead and pull yourself together. If you can't do it for them, try thinking of Lee. What the hell would he think if he could see the way you're acting now?"

Gai didn't respond.

"No one likes a hypocrite, Gai."

Kakashi waited for a reply, but he got none. Gai simply turned his gaze to the floor and was silent. Kakashi sighed. "But, I know it is hard to wait, Gai. But, they are alive. We may not be able to do anything now, but we will one day. They'll come home."

Gai picked up one of the pictures. He stared at it and shook his head. "How can you do this to a frightened _child?_"

"Gai, put it down…"

"Kakashi, it baffles me. I could not hurt my _enemies_ if they looked at me like this…"

Kakashi pulled himself to his feet. He set one hand on Gai's shoulder and took the picture away from him. "Gai, you need to talk to your team. You need to tell them you're ready to suck it up and live again."

"I'm not."

"Lie."


	14. Worry

Rock Lee sipped quietly on a glass of tea and watched as the people of Neustadt went about their daily lives, picking up things for that day and catching up on the latest gossip with old friends.

Three months found him still feeling foreign in a town that was itself foreign. No amount of time could make him feel at home among the rough language and the unbearably exotic foods and he was not the only one that thought that. Time could not change the looks he got from passers-by, the looks that plainly wondered who he was and what business he had there.

It was obvious gossip had come faster then Lee had. He could hear them whispering, telling exaggerated tales of his previous life as a shinobi. Some had hints of truth, while others were downright outrageous. Everywhere he looked, people averted cautious stares and hurried away, looking warily over their shoulders.

He certainly gave them enough to work with. Three months of forgetfulness had left his signature bowl-cut an unruly shaggy mess. His hands bore scars from training, exaggerated to the evidence of desperate clawing of his victims as they struggled for life. Even sealed, he was physically above average. The strength and speed with which he moved frightened them. In combination with his thick eyebrows and sharpening features, they had no reason to assume he wasn't absolutely crazy.

Even the circle of leather around his neck gave everyone a reason to avoid him. Lee had learned quickly that Master David had earned an infamous respect in the town. They revered him, sought him out for conversation, advice and desperate problems, but it was all with a careful sort of wariness. They saw him as one of them, but they gave him the distanced respect of a real ninja.

They didn't dare befriend his property.

Lee sighed into his cup. It really was unfair, but what could he do?  
"You're quiet today."

Lee jerked out of his thoughts and turned his eyes to Master David. "Excuse me?"

"You're quiet," the man repeated, his icy eyes alert above dark circles of missed sleep. "Usually you have something to say on Sundays."

"Oh… Well, this week has been fairly uneventful."

"Has it now? No interesting games of tag? No crazy rides on Archer?"  
Lee's face flushed indignantly. "She is evil! I have not gotten on her in ages!"

Master David chuckled. "You'll never get the hang of it if you quit."

"I have not quit! She is sadistic!"

"Horses are not sadistic."

"You sound like Mariam."

"Mariam is right, then."

"She is not!"

"I dare you to tell her that."

Silence.

Master David laughed out loud, making a waitress on the other side of the patio jump and almost spill coffee on her customer.

"Will you look at that?" he laughed. "Two former shinobi both scared of a little old woman."

"A little old woman with a good arm-"

"Lee-san!"

Lee turned around and suddenly a bundle of curls jumped in his lap.

"Hello, Sophie-chan," Master David said with a smile, picking up his tea glass.

"Afternoon, Mr. Eberhart," she peeped, grabbing Lee's glass and taking a large sip of it. She set it back down with a clatter and sat down in Lee's lap. She tugged on his shirt as if his attention wasn't already on her. "Hide 'n seek, Lee-san! I've got spots planned out this time that you'll never guess!"

Lee forced a quick laugh, glancing over to Master David. "Sophie-chan, I am sure your hiding spots are wonderful, but they will have to wait until tomorrow. I am with Master David right now and-"

"Don't worry about that, love," Master David interrupted with a wave of his hand. He took a sip of his tea and said, "There will be plenty of time later. Go and play with little Sophie. God knows she doesn't _ever_ see you!"

That was good enough for Sophie. She leapt from Lee's lap, ran over and gave Master David's knee a quick hug. "Thanks, Mr. Eberhart!"

She ran back and pointed accusingly at Lee. "Count! And no peeking!"

Lee held up his hands defensively. "Alright! Alright! I am counting!"

Sophie turned and darted away into the crowd. Lee smiled at her back before turning to Master David, who cocked an eyebrow at him. "I am sorry, Master David. I know your days off are limited an-"

"Don't worry about that, love. As I said, there are plenty of hours in the day. A few hours of quiet in a café won't do me any less of good. Now, you better go after little Sophie before she gets too far."

Lee stood up and gave him a polite bow. "Thank you, Master David."

Then, Lee walked out into the crowd and looked around. He turned down the road to where Sophie had gone. He had a good idea of where she might be. He peered at the faces of shop keepers, looking for the telltale signs of someone participating in a child's game. After about five shops, he spotted it on the face of a fruit vendor, who was trying to look busy with an apple while grinning like a possum.

Lee walked up to him. "Have you seen a little girl? Blonde curly hair in a pretty dress?"

He gave him a wary look, but stayed true to the game. He shook his head. "Nope. Not around here."

There was a muffled tittering from under his stall.

"I see. So, if perhaps I were to look under your stall, there would be no little girl laughing under it?"

The man looked away. "No…"

"Well," Lee moved carefully around to the other side of the stall. "I suppose I'll just-"

Sophie suddenly burst out from under the stall, yelling, "You have to t- huh?"

Sophie looked down at Lee's finger, which was directly on her sternum.

"Tag."

"Darn it!" She looked over her shoulder. "Mr. Snyder, check the rules! There's a limit on how fast you can tag someone!"

Mr. Snyder scratched his head. "Not when I was growing up."

"Darn it!" Sophie huffed and gave Lee an annoyed glare. "You're too fast. It isn't fair."

"I am sorry, Sophie-chan. I love this game."

"Me, too, but I a- Lee-san, look! A _kitty!_"

"A k- Sophie-chan!"

An orange tabby meowed loudly and bounded away, Sophie hard on its tail. Sophie was fast for her age. She darted down the street, away from the main part of town. Lee cursed mildly and went after her.

The cat led her through the streets, which were clearing as the mid-day rush was wearing off. But, she maneuvered much easier through the crowd then Lee could. The path was winding and Lee lost sight of Sophie more then once for the many turns. He cursed a little harsher. He looked up to the rooftops. He hadn't taken the rooftops in his stay in the town, for he feared he wouldn't be able to with the seal in place. But, he was out of options if he wanted to keep sight of her.

Using a small pile of crates, he managed to vault up onto the rooftops and looked around. He saw Sophie and the cat running down an alleyway. He went after them. The rooftops were sloping, different from the ones in Konoha, but they were just as much fun, if not more. He found a familiar adrenaline rush in his veins and he sped up as his first jump came. He vaulted forward and managed to make it with a considerable amount of leeway. The shock that went up his legs was nostalgic.

The gap he had let form between him and Sophie was quickly closing.

Then, Sophie hit a dead end and the cat jumped over the wall without her. She looked up and stamped her foot. "Shoot!"

Lee landed behind her. His breathing was delightfully heavier. "Sophie-chan!"

She turned around. She was panting like a dog. "I lost it!"

"I see that. Do not worry. There are plenty of cats around the town. Let us go back. We can take the rooftops."

"The roofs? How?"

"I will show you. Come o-" Lee stiffened as a thrill went down his neck and all the way down his back. There was chakra and it wasn't his. He quickly stepped closer to Sophie and looked around carefully, trying to pinpoint its source.

"Kitty!"

Lee looked up on the wall. The cat was standing up on the ledge. He narrowed his eyes at it. It was radiating chakra.

Sophie screamed as it suddenly exploded into white smoke. When it cleared, a man with dark markings around his eyes was grinning down at them. Three more chakra patterns erupted behind them. Lee whirled around, pushing Sophie closer to him. She grabbed his pant leg and looked fearfully between the men in front of them and the one on the wall.

One of the men, the obvious leader, stepped forward. He wore a heavy ring on his middle finger and his knuckles bore the characters for 'death', 'money' and 'snake'. "Well, well, well… what have we here?"

Lee pressed Sophie to him and started moving back to the wall. The cat-like man jumped down behind him and faked a move forward. Sophie screamed and ran behind Lee's other leg. Lee stepped threatening towards him, staring him down until he backed up. Then, Lee backed up so his back was towards the wall on his left. He kept all four men in his sight as they circled and surrounded him.

"Good work, Negao," said the leader, drawing a nasty curved knife from his pocket. The cat-man laughed insanely, eyeing Sophie like she was choice meat. She whimpered and tried to get even further behind Lee. He set a hand on her head.

"So this is David's new pet?" The man was bald and wore sunglasses. "Ain't much, is it, Ato?"

"Nah, Takai," It was the other man, who had a scar on his arm and across his right cheek. "But, if my sources are right, then Eberhart will pay millions to get 'im back."

"What about the girl, Satsu?"

"Ch," The leader eyed her with a grin. "Bonus. Eberhart wouldn't let an innocent little girl stay in the clutches of big bad men, would he?"

Lee swallowed nervously. He looked quickly over to Negao, who was prowling dangerously close to him and Sophie. When he reached out to grab her, Lee punched him with a sickening crunch. Negao yowled. Blood dripped from his hands as he clawed at his broken nose.

Powerful hands grabbed Lee's arm as it drew back for a second strike. He was slammed forcefully into the ground. Sophie shrieked. He threw himself sideways and to his feet as a heavy blow hit the pavement where he had been. He kicked Takai in the jaw, sending him into the scarred man. They both fell.

Lee darted forward and grabbed Sophie. "Hold on tight, Sophie-cha- Ghah!"

Pain erupted in his arm and blood splattered across the pavement. He fell to one knee and grabbed the slash wound, still holding Sophie to him. From the corner of his eye, he saw the man draw back for another, deadlier strike. Lee threw Sophie away from him. He tried to dodge, but the knife ripped through his bicep like paper. He twisted his body and grabbed Satsu's arms.

Sophie shrieked as Negao grabbed her and bared bloody teeth. She punched him, nailing him in the eye. He roared and threw her angrily. She hit the ground a few feet away from where Lee was fighting for the knife.

"Let go, you little bastard!" snarled Satsu viciously. He jerked one hand free and struck Lee against the side of the head.

Stars exploded in front of Lee's eyes. But, that was his chance. He slammed his foot into his shin and twisted sideways to launch a nasty second strike to his stomach. The knife skidded across the pavement. Lee managed to get to his hands and knees, shaking his head to clear the stars from his vision. He looked around and saw that Sophie was valiantly trying to take on a bloody and now bruised Negao.

Lee scrambled dazedly to his feet and slammed a fist into Negao's head, finally knocking him out. He grabbed for Sophie, but two sets of powerful arms seized him and a heavy fist slammed into him, right below his ribs. The breath was forced from his lungs and he was left almost completely dazed.

His arms were twisted painfully behind him by Takai and Ato. Satsu glared death at him. Scrapes from the skid he had taken across the concrete made him look fierce. He pushed up the sleeves of his white shirt and cracked his tattooed knuckles. "Fuck it. Eberhart won't mind a few bruises-"

"No! Don't hit Lee, butthead!" Sophie ran forward and started pounding her tiny fists into Satsu's leg. "Let go! Let go, let go, let g-"

"Get off, brat!" Satsu grabbed her dress and threw her away. "I'll deal with you later!"

She landed hard, but struggled to sit up. Tears streaked her face, which now bore tiny scratches. She shakily got up. She stamped her foot helplessly. "No! Don't hit him! Let go!"

"Sophie-chan, run!" Lee's voice was nothing but a gasp. "Run!"

"But-"

"Go! Go n-"

Satsu punched him, snapping his jaw shut on the edge of his tongue. Blood spurted into his mouth.

Sophie screamed. "Nii-san!"

"Go!" Blood misted the air. "Go now!"

Sophie wailed and ran. Satsu snarled and punched Lee in the head, dazing him. "Takai! Go silence her!"

Takai stood there stupidly for a moment. "But, the k-"

"Now, stupid!"

Takai took off after Sophie. Lee's left side was now free. But, he was dazed. He felt blood drip off his chin.

Satsu found his knife and walked back over to Lee, feeling the edge with the tips of his fingers. "Hope she was worth it. Eberhart won't miss a few pieces."

Lee looked up defiantly at him.

"Any last words?"

Lee spat at him, the blood from his bitten tongue splattering across his face.

When Satsu instinctively flinched and reached to wipe it off, Lee slammed his foot into Ato's hard enough bones snapped. Ato shrieked like a woman and grabbed his foot, hopping around in a manner that would have been funny at any other time. Lee kicked him hard, overbalancing him and sending him to the floor. He blocked another punch to his chest from Satsu and nailed him in the neck.

Satsu gagged hard, grabbing his neck. He staggered a bit before collapsing. He twitched twice. Then, he was still.

Lee panted heavily. He pressed a hand to the injuries on his arm. He sighed and sat down, eyeing the unconscious bodies around him warily.

Suddenly, there was the hard pounding of shoes against concrete. He jumped as Master David suddenly hit the ground with a bone jarring force. He ran forward, his icy eyes wild with fear.

"Lee-kun! What happened?" he asked breathlessly, falling gracelessly to his knees and searching Lee's body with his eyes.

"I got in a fight."

"A f- Lee-kun, you can't be fighting! It- you could have been killed!"

Lee was averted his gaze. "I know, but… Sophie-chan… and they just… I am sorry."

"We'll discuss it later," Master David's hands flashed through a rapid set of hand signs and chakra exploded from his pores. He crossed his hands over Lee's injuries and the powerful chakra rushed through his cells. It was like watching traditional medical jutsu in fast forward. Ripped muscles stitched themselves back together seamlessly, blood vessels were reattached and finally the skin pulled over the exposed muscle with an impossible fluidity. When Master David took his hands away, the skin was taut and perfect.

There was no scar.

Lee stared at his arm with eyes that were wide with almost horror. He turned to Master David, whose breathing was slightly heavier. "M-Master David, what techni-"

Master David ripped off the outer cuff of his shirt and handed it to Lee. "Ball that up and press it against the injury in your mouth until it stops bleeding."

Lee could take a hint. He wordlessly did as instructed, the cotton fabric immediately soaking up the blood filling his mouth. He pressed it between his tongue and his teeth, keeping pressure on the injury.

Then, Master David grabbed him roughly and pressed him hard against his chest, wrapping his arms around him in a protective embrace. "Don't you _ever_ frighten me like that again."

Lee tried to respond, but between the heavy embrace and the fabric in his mouth, he couldn't get a word in. He felt Master David shift to a more comfortable position. He felt Master David press his face into his hair.

"When I heard everyone suddenly panicking, I knew you were involved," he whispered softly. "I… I rushed here, to get to you before they could. I never thought you would be… god, I thought you were severely… I thought I was going to lose you, love…"

Lee looked up at him. His eyes were closed, but the lines against his face were deepened with genuine worry and relief.

Time settled and hung in the sudden quiet, sitting down and allowing the moment to stretch beyond a moment. Sound stopped except for the beating of Lee's heart and time slowed to a halt, allowing the stretched moment to expand further into an eternity…

Lee's eyes shifted slowly up past his Master's face, up towards the still blue sky.

"_What are you doing, loser?"_

"_Cloud-gazing."_

_"Why?"_

_"Because I cannot get up."_

_"You overexerted yourself, didn't you?"_

_"Yes, Neji-kun. I did."_

Lee smiled and closed his eyes.

Gradually, time came back to life. The cries of men and the clang of weapons became louder and louder until he felt Master David shift and they both looked up. A group of men and women alike, armed with sticks, brooms and rolling pins ran down the alleyway. They stopped and a collective gasp ran through the crowd. A huge murmur of horror waved down the crowd. They were too shocked to step forward.

Lee didn't know whether it was the blood, the bodies or his injuries that horrified them. He just closed his eyes again and fell back into the safety of Master David's arms. He was dimly aware of the men clattering past them and gathering the unconscious bodies of his would be kidnappers.

Then, through the dizziness of blood loss and the daze of a good beating, Lee heard a tiny voice sniffling through the fuzziness surrounding his brain.

"I'm sorry, Lee-san. I… I was just… I thought it was a kitty…"

He slowly opened his eyes to see Sophie, still scratched up and dirty from her encounter, crying softly next to Master David. "I didn't mean for this… oh, what did I do!"

"Sophie-chan, this was not your fault."

"B-but, if I hadn't run off, maybe this-"

"No, sh. They were after me," He felt Master David shift beneath him. "This was not your fault."

"But why? Why did they hurt you?"

"Because they wanted to use me to get Master David's money. It is how things are."

"But, then why couldn't they ask? Mister Eberhart would have given it to them! Wouldn't you have?"

"If they had reason…"

"Perhaps they were desperate," Lee was tired. His throat hurt. He hurt. He smiled at Sophie, trying to reassure the poor five-year-old girl who had been forced to grow up that day.

"Sophie-chan, does your mother know you're here?"

Sophie looked up at Master David. "No."

"You should go tell her."

"No!" she snapped angrily. "I want to stay with Lee-san!"

"Just go tell her, Sophie-chan."

Sophie glared at him through a sparkling of tears. "If he dies, I'll pinch you 'till you cry!"

Sophie got up and ran to tell her mother about her experience that day. Lee doubted she'd be back or that he'd ever be allowed anywhere near her again. Master David nudged him a little as he almost fell back into his semi-daze. "Lee-kun. Love, we need to get home."

Lee murmured quietly as Master David stood up and pulled him gently to his feet. He supported Lee carefully before sighing, "Mariam is going to hang me."


	15. The Escape Plan, Part Two

"Come in."

Rock Lee pushed open the heavy door and was greeted by the usual tidiness of a good businessman's office. It was almost exactly like the one at the bar, save it was a little more comfortable.

"Ah, Lee-kun!" Master David smiled, the wrinkles crinkling on his face. "What brings you here?"

"Nothing, sir."

"Well, if it's nothing, then we'll make something of it," He gestured towards the comfortable fabric sofa next to his desk. "Sit!"

Lee crossed the soft carpeting and took a seat on the offered sofa. Master David set down a pen he was working with and pulled off a pair of glasses. "How are you feeling?"

"Better."

"Still sore?"

"Yes, sir."

Master David clicked his tongue. "I'm worsening in my old age. If I had been five years younger, that wouldn't be happening. You'd be good as new."

"Your techniques are still amazing, Master David."

"Thank you, love. But, you should have seen them before."

"I have never seen such medical jutsu as it is, even from the best medical ninja. Where did you learn them?"

Master David looked at him fondly for a moment before chuckling softly and shaking his head. "Just a small village in the forest somewhere. It was nothing special."

"Oh…" Lee looked quickly around the room for a topic of conversation. "Master David, where does that door lead?"

Master David looked up as if he didn't realize there was a door behind his desk. He stared at it for a moment. "That door? It just leads to another room."

"What kind of room?"

"A… show room, if you will. Would you like to see?" Lee followed him as he stood up and opened the door. Master David flicked on a light. Lee's mouth fell open and stayed there.

It was a very long hallway, wide enough for three people to walk down shoulder-to-shoulder. The walls were lined with small glass boxes, each containing a folded set of clothing and a forehead protector. On the front of each box, there was a small, gold-plated tag.

It was a showroom. A sick showroom of the possessions of every ninja that had come into Master David's clutches. There were _hundreds_.

Lee felt a little nauseous. He looked around, wondering just how many ninja had been captured and how many were still alive.

Master David chuckled dryly. "My father was a bit of a show-off. He used to bring potential clients in here and boast about how many ninja he had captured single-handedly, consistently forgetting to mention his business partner's hand in it."

"Your… father?"

"Yes, I admit it. I didn't create my business, but I am proud to say I improved it where I could. Though I still am guilty of doing a bit of collecting."

"How many ninja have you captured?"

"Me? Well… not nearly as much as my father. I haven't had the need to. Come, I'll show you my… collection."

Lee walked after Master David, glancing at the gold tags as he walked past them. Each tag had a place for the owner's name and village of origin, though there were times when the name was 'unknown'. He clenched his teeth.

Master David came close to the end of the hall, where the boxes became empty. He gestured to a set of boxes on his right. "In the years I have run this business, I have had only needed to replace three of the slaves I received from my father, though I am going on a fourth."

Lee stared at the boxes. He could see Naruto's bright orange jumpsuit and Kiba's fluffy jacket folded neatly in individual glass boxes, their headbands pinned on display above them.

But, he didn't see his.

Master David set a hand on his shoulder, as if he could sense Lee's confusion. "I hope you aren't insulted, love, but I keep yours upstairs."

Lee turned to him.

"It's tradition, I suppose. My father had personal slaves as well. He had a separate hall for them."

"A-ah," Lee's eyes went slowly from Master David back to Kiba and Naruto's possessions. Their forehead protectors looked plain without owners, just another of the many displayed. However, he could easily imagine them back on the forehead of their owners. He clenched his teeth and fists and averted his eyes. But, everywhere he looked there were reminders of how many ninjas had met his fate, but never escaped it.

Master David squeezed his shoulder. "Mariam should be beginning dinner soon. She loves your help, though she'll die rather then admit it."

Lee sucked in a deep breath and nodded. "I will go help her."

He turned sharply and left the room. He'd seen enough. He casually walked to the kitchen and saw that Mariam was already preparing for dinner that night. "Mariam-san?"

"You can fetch me those turnips."

"Actually, Mariam-san, I was wondering if you would not mind allowing me to take over."

Mariam froze. She looked up sharply, almost glaring at him over her glasses. "Why? Am I suddenly an old lady who can't cook anymore?"

"No, ma'am. But, I… never really thanked Master David for... everything. I have been told I make decent dinners when there is a reason."

Mariam raised an eyebrow at him. She straightened up a little and cleared her throat. "Oh. Well. I suppose… well, if you want to, I suppose I could get a bit more cleaning in. But-"

"You have managed to make dinner single-handed for years. Surely I can handle one night."

"Everything? There is a lot-"

"I can handle it."

For the first time in the time he had known her, Mariam looked as if she suddenly had nothing to do with herself. She frowned a little. "I think the guestrooms were getting a little dusty…"

She rolled down her sleeves and cleared her throat again. "Right. Don't be late. Dinner is at precisely at eight. I'll be watching the clock."

"It will be ready by then or I will clean this house from top to bottom tomorrow on my own."

"Like hell you are, pardon my French. You aren't going to completely take over a lady's job just because she's getting a little old, you little imp."

"I will get it done."

"That's better," Mariam frowned around the kitchen before sighing. She went over to a drawer and dug around in it, coming up with a yellowed index card. She walked it over to Lee and handed it to him. "He likes _Zigeunerschnitzel. _It isn't difficult to make, but it's hard to get perfect."

"I will do my best."

Mariam put her hands on her hips and frowned at him. "You know you don't have to do this. David is plenty happy that you survived such an ordeal."

"I want to do this, Mariam-san. It is… right."

Mariam stared at him for a while, her dark eyes seemingly staring right through him. Then, she sighed and shook her head. "Good luck. Red wine is rule of thumb for pork. They should be very close to the stairs in the cellar."

"I will make tea."

"Good boy," Mariam swept past him and closed the kitchen door behind her.

Lee watched the door for a minute before he sucked in another deep breath. He touched the bottle in his pocket and looked around the kitchen.

"Well, let us get this show on the road."

------

Lee sighed heavily and looked over the table. It looked great, even by his standards. Dinner was set up, full blown in a very foreign style with Mariam's recommended recipe and the sides noted on the bottom of the card.

Lee had outdone himself.

He went back into the kitchen. He popped the cork out of a bottle of strong Chianti and poured two glasses of it. Then, he took the bottle out of his pocket and read the back once more. By his estimate, the pills would still take over two hour to set in, even crushed. He glanced uneasily towards the door.

He sucked in a deep breath and fetched wax paper and a large serving spoon. He popped the top off the pills and poured a few out into his hand. He judged that he could safely up the dosage an almost infinite amount of times without injuring his targets. He had been fed 1800 milligrams of the same drug by a tricky criminal and had woken up four days later confused, but okay.

If he had that much of the drug, he would have used it. But, he didn't and he had to drug Mariam as well. He had 120 of the 10-milligram pills. He could guarantee at least twelve hours.

As he crushed the small yellow pills, he felt unusually guilty. There was something wrong about drugging the man that had saved his life, even if he had kidnapped him in the first place. However, he needed set time and this was the only way to get it without flat out killing Master David.

He took the fine powder he had created and with a knife, cut it evenly in half. Then, he added it to the red wine and carefully stirred it in. The gentle clicking of the knife against crystal seemed loud as church bells and Lee's eyes were almost glued to the door.

He picked up the wine glasses. He looked at them in the light. He had picked a good shade. The dark red color masked the slight discoloration perfectly. He could only hope the taste was strong enough to mask 600 milligrams of drugs.

"You can't really be a professional wine critic if you can't taste the wine."

Lee nearly jumped out of his skin and barely avoided dropping the glasses in his hands. Drops of wine splashed to the floor.

"Did I frighten you? So sorry, love," Master David walked casually into the kitchen, smiling fondly. "Mariam told me you bravely took on dinner single-handedly."

"I-I-I… I… uh…"

_Say something intelligent,_ Lee snapped at himself.

"Sure did."

_Why do I not just blurt out 'I drugged your drink' while I am at it?_

Master David chuckled. "You are something. I walked through the dining room on my way here. It looks wonderful."

"Th-thank you, sir!"

"Are you nervous, love?"

"W-what? No!"

"There's no reason to fear Mariam's opinion. You'll never be as good as she is in her eyes, though I think you're as close as anyone has gotten so far," Master David gave him a sly wink, "-if looks alone can judge quality!"

"Thank you?"

"I look forward to seeing if you cook like my mother, Lee-kun."

"H-huh?"

Master David smiled and took the glasses from Lee. He placed a soft kiss on his forehead and left the kitchen.

Lee almost collapsed. He grabbed the pill bottle and shoved it in his pocket. He leaned heavily on the counter. "That was too close for comfort!"

"Oh, and by the way, I think I can smell the almonds of an apple torte beginning to burn."

"Oh d- shoot!" Lee grabbed a kitchen towel and ran to the oven.

------

Rock Lee was nervous.

Dinner had gone off without a hitch. It had taken the better part of an hour and a half and he had watched Mariam and Master David throughout dinner, making sure they actually drank the wine. They had. It unnerved him.

He closed the dishwasher and hit the button. It whirred to life and Lee went back out into the dining hall. Master David was sipping on another glass of wine, this one a light white. He was still alert, though the drug was beginning to mellow him out. He looked up as Lee came in.

"That was superb, love. You are quite the chef."

"Thank you, Master David."

The man stood up and swayed a little. He looked around, blinking heavily. "Ooh… must've had more to drink then I thought."

"Perhaps you should retire for the night."

"No, no, I'm fine. Just a little… tipsy, I suppose," Master David set his glass on the table and yawned. "But, I think I am going to head upstairs. Are you coming?"

"Well, I sh-"

"I would like you to. I have something for you."

Something in Master David's voice made a tingle go down Lee's spine. He shut his mouth firmly, for he suddenly lacked trust in his nervous voice. He smiled and it served as enough answer for Master David.

"Come on, love," Master David turned and walked out of the dining room. Lee took a deep breath before following him. He couldn't help but notice as they walked up the stairs that Master David was beginning to sway a little.

Master David pushed open the door to the master bedroom and gestured him in. Lee's stomach dropped. He stepped in and he heard the door click shut behind him. His feet slid farther apart and his hands fell to his sides. His gaze dropped.

His nerves almost betrayed him, but he managed to hide a flinch from his Master's hand.

"Lee-kun, that isn't what I meant," Master David's hand squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. "What I have for you is a world away from sex. If you will."

Master David walked over to what Lee had thought was a closet door. He pushed it open and gestured him in. Relieved and now curious, Lee peered in.

His body stiffened and a tingle paralyzed his body, as if someone had electrocuted him.

It was Master David's second showroom.

However, this one was considerably more detailed, for there were only a few entries. All were female. Each station held two mannequins. One bore the gear that the slave had come in. The other bore her master's obvious favorite outfit, consisting of leather or lace. In each display, there was also a painting of the unfortunate woman, posed in a nude picture. Pinned on the bottom of the frame was her forehead protector and a gold-plated tag with her name and village of origin.

"Lee. These were my father's personal slaves. Keisei, Akime, Hikua and Resu."

"T… they are beautiful."

"They were."

"Master David?"

"Hm?"

"This is… I mean, you have… I am here?"

Master David sighed. He gestured for Lee to follow him. Lee dragged his eyes away from the pictures of the women who had died in the bonds of slavery. His steps were unsteady. When his Master stopped, he kept his eyes on the floor. He had to take several deep breaths before he had the nerve to look.

"I like to think that I have improved my father's display."

He had. It was largely the same, but 'sex' had been all but removed from Lee's title. There was the mannequin bearing the leg warmers and spandex suit that would no longer fit Lee's broad shoulders. The painting was in no way sexual, as it had been with the others. In fact, it was of him in the garden, with the squirrel that he had seen on the first day. True, he was shirtless, but it was… tasteful.

But, where the other mannequin would have stood, there was a small marble column with a cloth covering what appeared to be a display box.

"Master David? What is this?"

Master David yawned widely before he smiled. "Well, Lee-kun, why don't you find out?"

Lee stared at him briefly. His eyes strayed to the covered box and he suddenly questioned if he really wanted to see it or not.

_What could it possibly be that I am so worried about?_ he asked himself. _It is… probably just personalized cuffs or… something…_

Lee swallowed nervously. He reached out with a shaking hand and gripped the light blue cloth. He pulled it back.

Inside the small glass box were two raised displays. On the first, there was a collar unlike any Lee had seen before, in both beauty and in price. The thin links of chain were shimmering silver and embedded with small diamonds. From the front hung a simple plate set with small emeralds spelling out Lee's name.

On the other display was a simple black collar, made of leather with small silver studs and a buckle on the back. Hidden skillfully next to it was the latch that would pop open if anyone pulled too hard.

The silk fell from Lee's hand.

He sobbed.

Master David had kept the collar Neji had given him and put it on display with the collar he wanted Lee to wear one day.

"Lee-kun, I didn't think… oh, I didn't think you'd take it like this," Master David put a hand on his shoulder. "Love, I'm sorry."

Lee couldn't speak. He was overwhelmed.

"Love, I didn't know this would hurt you s-" Master David was interrupted by a large yawn. He swayed. "Ooh… I had _far_ too much to drink…"

Lee sniffed and wiped his eyes on the back of his hand, murmuring softly, "I am sorry."

"Pardon?"

Lee shook his head and wiped his eyes again. He averted his gaze. He couldn't look at him. "Master David?"

"Yes, love?"

"May I stay with you?"

Master David was stunned into silence. His mouth moved a little with no sound for a moment before he managed, "Y-yes, of course."

Lee sniffed and forced a smile. "Thank you, Master David."

"Are you going to change?"

"No. I am comfortable. Just… tired."

"I concur, love," Master David chuckled softly. He placed an arm around Lee's shoulders and walked him out of the showroom.

Master David was yawning as they settled into the emperor-sized bed. But, he neither hooked an arm around nor pressed against Lee. He just passed a fond hand over his shiny hair and smiled from his place on a soft pillow. He met Lee's dark eyes with lidded blue eyes that suddenly didn't seem so icy anymore.

"Sleep well, Lee-kun. I hope you dream of… beautiful things, as I will."

Lee was grateful for a dark morning as a pink tinge painted his cheeks. "Good night, Master David."

Lee watched as Master David's eyes fell shut and his breath quickly softened to the slow breaths of slumber. He sighed softly and sat up. He reached over and gave the man an experimental shake. When he didn't wake, Lee knew his month long plan was in action.

He slipped out of bed and went back into the showroom. He flicked on the light and walked down the hallway. His eyes went over the women featured in the collection of Master David's father, to which Lee had become the first of the second generation. It sickened him to think that perhaps he was no more then a collectible.

When he came to his display, he gently unfastened his headband from its position on the frame. The durable cotton was softer then he ever remembered it being. He shuddered and tied it tightly around his forehead. He couldn't describe how good it felt.

Then, he gently pulled up on the glass over the collars and found it easily came off. He set it down gently and reached back to remove the heavy leather around his neck. He let it fall beside him and reached to pick up the leather choker he had missed for so long.

Something stopped his hand. He drew back a little and looked between the two collars. One simple and practical, the other one elegant and beautiful. One representing the life he had and one the life he had once had.

Why was there a debate? What was there to decide? He wanted to go home! He wanted to eat ramen at Ichiraku's with Naruto. He wanted to run through the streets of the town he had grown up in. He wanted to meet the Akamaru Kiba had spoken of. He wanted to train relentlessly with Gai-sensei and hang out with Tenten. He wanted to kiss Neji and tell him how much he loved him.

Still, he didn't want to leave the man who had kidnapped him and put him through hell, only to take him home and treat him as royalty. He didn't want to leave the woman who would die rather then admit she needed his help. He didn't want to leave the little girl he would never see again.

He was so torn up about what he was doing he was close to being physically sick.

Why was this so hard? He had loved his old life. Being a ninja was everything to him. It was not glamorous, but he had never wanted a life that was. He had a loyalty to his village he had to respect. He had a teacher that loved him beyond logical reason that was dying without him. He had a female teammate who suddenly didn't have anyone to try hopelessly to understand her. He had a lover he had no doubt left heartbroken.

Moreover, he had two friends he was deciding whether to free or leave to a life of slavery.

He reached down and picked up the soft leather choker. He slipped it on and found it fit nicely, soft on his neck where the other had bound him. He bent down and picked up the heavy collar he had dropped before. He ran a hand over it, trying to believe that he wasn't going to wear it again. He sucked in a deep breath and walked out of the showroom, shutting off the light.

He walked to the side of the bed where the man who was tearing him up inside was caught in a drug-induced slumber. He sighed softly. "I am sorry, Master David."

He set the collar on the side table. He lingered at the bedside for what seemed like forever, looking at the face of David Eberhart in the growing light of a dark red morning.

He turned and left the room. His entire body was shaking. He wanted to turn around and go lay down again, to wake Master David up in twelve hours and tell him what he had almost done. But, he knew very well that one day freedom would call him again and he would be faced with this same dilemma. This was how it had to be.

He went to his room and he went to his closet. He picked up a fairly heavy jacket before he pushed back a rack of shirts, revealing three backpacks hidden on top of a set of storage compartments. He had obtained and packed them over the course of the past month. He picked one up and strapped it on tightly with shaky hands. He picked up the other two and left his closet. He looked around the white room, which he had steadily decorated in the three months he had been there, for the last time.

He left the room and walked downstairs. His steps slowed down and eventually stopped as he reached the large front doors, the only way to exit the manor. He looked back at the dark corridor, which had amazed him into an awed silence only three months ago. He pulled the gold doorknob and pulled the great wooden door open. He slipped out and shut it gently behind him. He took a deep breath. Something was tearing and he was pretty sure it was his heart.

He stepped off the porch and went to the right of the mansion. He looked over to the shed, where Master David's exquisite carriage had once stood. Lee had been out there earlier that night after hearing his Master wouldn't be heading to work. He had pretty much taken it apart and hidden several of what he guessed were important parts. If he hadn't heard about it at dinner, he could safely assume that it was still disassembled.

The stables were silent as Lee pushed open the door and looked around in the dim light. He saw Archer, who he had been training on for a month. She seemed so innocent in sleep, but he knew she would betray him for a good laugh. There were the two grey horses that pulled Master David's carriage, but they weren't suitable for riding. He was unsure of the other two horses. Mariam's old mare, Silvara, seemed to have as much of an attitude as her owner. Master David's stallion was… a stallion.

He swallowed nervously. This was it.


	16. Under Fire

"Oh my god…"

Lee practically fell of Silvara, collapsing on his back on the grass. The morning was nearly over and Lee never wanted to mount a horse again. He was aching in places that had no business aching and could look forward to being infertile for the rest of his life.

He could not believe what he had done. Surely he had broken every rule Gai-sensei had set him about honor. In one morning, he had lied, drugged two people, disassembled one expensive carriage, released four of five horses, stole the other and he was sure the list would continue growing. He would be doing push ups for eternity.

Silvara snorted and pawed the ground.

She was right. Lee didn't have time to be aching. He stood up, groaning. He attempted to walk straight as he unhitched the two bags from Silvara's saddle. He set them on the ground and looked up at Silvara. "You can go now."

Silvara stared at him.

"Shoo!"

She still stared at him.

"Fine. Stay. I do not care," Lee reclaimed the two bags and, ignoring the pain radiating through his lower body, he darted away. He wasn't too far away from the small shop hiding the bar.

When he arrived, he had gone over his plan again in his head. It was all a matter of getting in and out now. He knew there was a man working the door entering the bar that would have to be taken out immediately. There were typically three guards on day duty in the male cells, less on occasion. Each had some of the keys to the cells. He'd have to get all three. Then, if all went smoothly, he'd release Naruto and Kiba and be gone. As far as he knew, that was all he needed to worry about.

He pulled off his backpack and opened the other two. He pulled a set of clothes out of each of them and stuffed them in his pack. He strapped it back on. He sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He ducked under the window and walked over to the door. He gently twisted the handle and nudged the door open, stepping to the side so the man inside wouldn't see him.

"What in the name of…"

The door opened completely and a tired, bored looking man peered out. "He-"

Lee punched him in the temple. He fell hard, hitting the back of his head on the door. His eyes rolled a little before shutting.

Lee added punching undeserving men unconscious to his list of dishonor. He stepped over the man and dragged him inside. He shut the door and looked around the store for anything that might be of any use.

Lee pulled a coil of thin rope from the wall. It was soft and thin, probably designed for those who came out wanting to try bondage at home. He tied the man securely with it and propped him up in the corner. Then, he looked around again. He took a metal bottle and pulled the top off it. He set it by the door and took a book of matches from the front desk. He slipped them in his pocket. He hoped he wouldn't need them.

He slipped one of the support poles from a set of shelves and tested its weight in his hands. He sighed. It would do.

Lee pressed a small green button and one of the shelves swung open to reveal the entrance to the bar. He peered carefully inside, looking around for any guards that would be sneaking early drinks. He stepped in as the door began shutting. He looked around at the empty room, which he had seen twice before and still it looked no different. He shuddered a little and darted over to the door that led to the back rooms. He opened it carefully, peering in.

He cursed mentally. Two guards were chatting not too far away. He was going to have to drop them, too. He took a moment to mentally forgive himself before he pushed the door open with one hand and then slid to the side again. The chatting stopped and Lee could hear the two guards murmuring suspiciously to each other.

Footsteps approached him and he readied the heavy wooden pole in his right hand.

One of the guard's heads appeared in the doorway.

_CRACK!_

Lee landed an expert hit to the back of his head. The guard staggered and looked up in surprise and anger. Lee nailed him again, this time between the eyes. He went down this time.

"_You!"_

Lee whirled around, narrowly avoiding the second guard with his weapon. He yelped as the guard grabbed his arm and drew back to hit him. He had to think fast. He lashed out, striking the guard under the ribs as his fist collided with Lee's shoulder. Lee was almost spun completely around by the force of the strike, but the jolt combined with the pain of Lee's assault had caused the guard to let go. Lee grabbed the pole from the ground.

_CRACK!_

The second guard went down next to the first, murmuring curses before dropping off. Lee was panting, from exertion and from fear. He gave a small sigh of relief. He peered down the hallway again. Nothing. He slipped in, shutting the door behind him. He darted down the hallways, peering around turns as he made his way to the male cells. He came upon the heavy wood door and tried the handle.

Locked.

He cursed mildly. He was going to drop _more_ guards. He was working up bad karma today. He knocked sharply on the door and slid to the side again. He briefly wondered how many times he could use such a trick before he jinxed it. Heavy footsteps approached the door and stopped.

The door opened and a guard stepped out.

It was Sahou.

Sahou turned on him. His eyes widened. "Holy sh-"

Lee swung at him, but Sahou nimbly weaved out of the way. He turned and roared, "Ukso! We've got an i-"

_SNAP!_

Lee brought the pole down hard enough on Sahou's skull that it broke. Sahou stood there for a moment, swaying a little. He rubbed the top of his head. "You little-"

"Sahou-san!" A second guard came rushing up. "Sir, what's the-"

_CRACK!_

Lee stood there for a moment, mouth hanging open four inches as Ukso fell to the floor, blood dripping from a broken nose. He looked up at Sahou, who was wiping blood off his knuckles.

Sahou pulled the keys off his belt and tossed them to him. Then, he pointed threateningly at him. "I am going to get smashed on hard liquor, understand? I never saw you, you never saw me."

"Y-yes, sir."

"Good. And Lee."

"Yes, sir?"

"Don't fuckin' hit me again, you little brat, or I'll break that pole over _your_ head."

Lee looked at the pole in his hand and let it fall to the ground. "Yes, sir."

Sahou turned and walked down the hallway, rubbing the top of his head and muttering. Lee watched him go. He was confused, but he wasn't going to complain about the unexpected help. He settled for a heavy sigh as he stepped over the bloody Ukso and looked around. A few slaves had been woken up by the commotion, but many had just slept through it like another guard fight. The few who had awoken stared at him with huge eyes.

"Are you mad?"

Lee looked to the speaker, a dark haired man in his late thirties. He blinked in the darkness. "I am confused at the moment. But, I have come to free my friends. I am s-"

"Good luck with that."

"Excuse me? Why are you being so sarcastic?"

The man shook his head. "I wouldn't attempt escaping if I was you and I wouldn't follow you either. You're on a fool's mission."

Lee frowned at him. "I want to free my friends."

"They'll track you down."

"They can try."

"They _will._ Everyone who managed to escape has come back. It wasn't for long. But, still."

"What do you mean?"

"Everyone that made it out of the bar has made it back, only to die later from the repercussions."

"I will die then," Lee turned to the other slaves. They adverted their eyes and most turned over to go back to sleep. He looked around hopelessly. "Do you not dream of freedom?"

"Freedom? This is freedom," replied one blonde man. "We get to express our carnal desires everyday, service the most successful men and women this land has to offer. We drive this country and those with the power to change the world."

"What?"

"This is the life we lead. It's all we know, it's all we need to know."

Lee cast a glance between the both men. How could he have forgotten? These slaves were brainwashed. They wouldn't leave with him if he paid them.

Tears sprung to his eyes. "Fine. I will not stay here and I will not allow my friends to stay here."

Lee walked swiftly down the hallway. Around him, slaves were sleeping or attempting to get back to sleep. He felt bad for all of them. He reached the end of the hallway and looked into the last three cells.

His was still empty.

But, as expected, Naruto had slept through everything. His arm was hanging off the bed and a thin line of drool was dripping from the corner of his mouth. His young body was spread out over his bed, his blanket flopping off one leg, which was bent into the air. He looked almost serene.

Lee looked over to the third cell. His breath caught in his throat and his heart momentarily stopped.

Kiba was missing.

His legs got weak and he gripped the bars to steady himself. The tears that had sprung to his eyes spilled down his cheeks. A shuddering sob escaped his lips. This wasn't possible. How was Kiba gone? He had been _very_ popular. He was an _asset_ to a sex business. What could have driven them to be rid of him? Where could he be?

Why wasn't he told?

Lee's brow furrowed and he gritted his teeth. He swiped a hand over his eyes, glaring at the empty cell. He couldn't believe it. Master David had _hid_ something like this from him!

He began trying keys. He started from the back and it took seven keys before he found the right one. The lock clicked open and he slid the door open. He stepped in and kneeled beside Naruto's bed.

"Naruto-kun? Naruto-kun, wake up," Lee shook him gently. "Get up, Naruto-kun."

Naruto's face scrunched up and he sleepily batted at Lee's hand. "Go away. No way it's time…"

"Naruto-kun, get up."

"No, I dun wanna…"

"Naruto-kun!"

"Goddamn it, I don't wanna get up!" Naruto's eyes cracked open and he glared at Lee. Slowly, his glare softened to confusion. He rubbed his eyes. "B-bushy brow?"

"Naruto-kun."

"Bushy brow…" Naruto's blue eyes opened wide as dinner plates and his mouth formed a large O. Then, his face broke into a grin that was almost too big for his face. "Bushy brow! You're alive!"

Lee caught Naruto as he leapt forward for a neck crushing hug. He wrapped his arms around him. He sighed softly. "I am happy to see you, too."

Suddenly, Naruto shoved him away and socked Lee in the face.

Lee was forced to sit down as he blinked hard and reeled under the amount of unexpected pain. "N-naruto-kun?"

"Where the _fuck_ have you been?" yelled Naruto, grabbing Lee's shirt and drawing him up close. "I thought you were _dead!_ Everyone thought you were dead!"

"I have been with Master David."

"You've been with _David? _You son of a bitch! You ditched me and Kiba to turn tricks for _David?_"

Lee sharply struck Naruto's hand away from him. "I did not ask for the job!"

Naruto scoffed, asking sarcastically, "Oh, so he got word of your killer blowjobs or somethin'?"

"I had no choice! If I had not, I would have been executed and I would have never been able to return here to free you! Then I _would _be dead!"

Naruto glared at him. "What've you been doin' for three months?"

"I am a coward. There. Is that good enough for you? I did not have the courage to risk your life with a plan I made!"

Naruto was silenced. He gave Lee a final glare before averting his eyes. "So? What now?"

"Put these on," Lee pulled off his backpack and pulled out a set of clothes. "And… tell me what happened to Kiba-kun."

"Kiba? He's alright," Naruto replied, pulling on a dark orange shirt. "Haven't seen 'im after the rounds, but yeah, he seemed okay."

"What? Then why is he not h- Naruto-kun, no."

Naruto rolled his eyes and took off the blue jeans. He grabbed a pair of underwear and mimicked Lee childishly.

"Where is he?"

"I dunno. Probably bein' kept by Gijou for 'special time'. Y'know guards always get a thing for their slaves."

"How long has it been since he returned to his cell?"

"I dunno. A week?"

"A week? There is no way he Gijou has kept him out that many days. Surely there must be something else," Lee thought for a moment as Naruto slipped on a pair of durable black shoes. "Was Kiba having trouble with his clients?"

"I don't think so. He had a re-take of that pissy one, though," Naruto snorted. "Y'know, the one that walked out of the room naked because Kiba had gotten a little too _enthusiastic?_"

"You do not think that perhaps Kiba-kun is under extended punishment, do you?"

Naruto shuddered and ruffled his hair a little. "Y'got a key for this collar?"

"No."

"Then how'd y'get yours off?"

"Master David removed the lock when I arrived," Lee tossed his backpack back onto his shoulders. "Come on. Kiba-kun must be here somewhere."

"What about the oth-"

"I have tried. They have been conditioned."

"Right…" Naruto stood up and stretched before following Lee down the dark hallway. Naruto stopped and looked at the bloody Ukso. "Er… Lee?"

"What?"

"Did you-"

"I had help."

"Oh. Kick ass."

"Where did you learn such horrid language, Naruto-kun?"

"Clients."

Lee rolled his eyes and added a quick spurt of speed to his step. He was unsure of whether he wanted Kiba to be where he thought he was or not. But, his footsteps only quickened until he was practically jogging down the hallway.

He stopped in front of the Dark room. It was the place he had gotten his piercings, but it was the other times he was there that had given the room the ominous feeling. Naruto stopped behind him and gave the room an uneasy look.

"Well? Open it," Naruto's voice was shaking.

Lee reached out and twisted the knob. He pushed in and flicked on a light.

"Kiba!"

Lee and Naruto rushed forward.

Part of Lee was relieved that his friend was here, the rest was horrified and regretting ever have left him. He looked terrible. He was kneeling, tied firmly to a short A-frame so that his arms were fully extended to his sides. A long spreader bar tied to his calves kept his legs apart. He had recently lost weight and there were dark circles under his eyes.

Naruto practically fell next to him and began pulling at the tight knots. "Kiba! Oi, Kiba!"

Groggily, Kiba's sharp eyes opened and he slowly lifted his head a little. "Wha?"

"Kiba-kun, are you alright?"

Kiba stared at Lee for a moment before he grinned a little. "Hey, Lee. Ya ain't dead."

"What happened?"

"What? This? Nothin'. Just lost an argument with that Ketsu."

"Told you," Naruto murmured, gnawing at a knot.

"What have they been doing to you, Kiba-kun?"

"Not much. The usual, y'know. But, damn, I'm hungry."

"They have been _starving_ you?"

"Yeah, well…"

"Shoot," Lee pulled off his backpack and flipped it open. He pulled out the set of clothing for Kiba and felt around until he felt cold steel. He pulled out a strong-bladed kitchen knife. "Excuse me, Naruto-kun."

Naruto took one look at the knife and his eyes lit up. "I wanna do it!"

"Naruto-kun-"

"Come on!" Naruto grabbed the knife from him and slid it under the ropes from the back. Then, he began sawing through it.

"Are y'crazy? Don't give him a knife!"

"He will be careful, Kiba-kun."

"Easy fer you t'say! Yer over there!"

With a snap, the first set of rope fell off and Naruto eagerly went after the other. Lee reached out with one hand to steady Kiba as the other ropes fell from his wrist.

Kiba punched Naruto in the shoulder as he went for the spreader bar. "They're cuffs, idiot! They _snap_ off!"

"Hmph," Naruto sat down and ran his finger over the edge of the knife, looking around for things to cut up.

Kiba picked up the shirt and examined it before he pulled it over his head. "So… we're leavin', I guess?"

"Yes. But, I am concerned for you, Kiba-kun. How long have they been starving you?"

"I dunno… five days? Six? No biggie. I've done worse."

"Six days…" There was no doubt the punishment was intended to be longer. Lee was baffled that Master David could okay such a sentence. Worse, he approved it _and_ didn't tell him. Lee became a little nauseated just thinking that he had almost betrayed his village, his friends and _Neji_ to stay with the man who could starve a thirteen year old boy as punishment.

"Hey, if I have to wear 'em, so do you!"

"Fuck off."

"Kiba-kun!"

"Sorry, Lee," Kiba droned sarcastically, putting on a pair of underwear. He pulled on the pair of jeans as Lee relayed the plan to them.

"I have looked up Konoha's location and, from the next town; it is almost a straight line going east. It will take us about three days on foot, perhaps two if we run. Once we reach the next town, though, we will replenish our supplies, lose these clothes and pick up weapons if we can find them."

"With what?" scoffed Naruto. "Love?"

"I have obtained money, Naruto-kun."

"How?"

"Y'stole it from David?"

"I never said it was honest money and I am not proud of what I did," Lee remembered stealing the credit notes, too. Master David had come home from a particularly successful gambling trip and had tossed the notes in a drawer, where he forgot them and a week later, Lee had them. "But, still."

"Way t'go, Lee!" Kiba reached out a hand to high-five him. "I didn't think y'could do somethin' like that!"

"I am not proud of it and you should not be congratulating me!"

"Oh, sorry! I thought stealin' from the rich was a good thing!"

"Oh, hush!" Lee fished around in his bag and pulled out a bag of beef jerky. "Eat this, Kiba-kun. We must go before the guards… er… wake up."

"Lee's been beatin' the lights outta guards, too."

_"Damn!_ Yer the wild child, ain't ya?"

"Come on," Lee stood up and offered his hands to the two on the floor. Naruto ignored it in favor of the shining metal in his hands, which he was still fingering desirously. Kiba, however, had little choice but to accept it. Lee pulled him to his feet and steadied him with one hand.

"Are you going to be alright, Kiba-kun?"

"Yeah! I just got outta bondage! Lemme walk. I'll loosen up again." Naruto snorted. Kiba snapped, "Shut up!"

Lee sighed softly. It was nice to hear them again. He gestured forward and they moved out. Lee lead the small group down the hallway and back towards the entrance. They met no resistance, which frightened him. He moved quickly, checking behind him to make sure Kiba was keeping up. He was managing.

Lee pressed an ear to the door at the end of the hallway. He heard nothing but silence. It was odd. He frowned at it, but there was no reason not to open it. He looked behind him, giving Naruto and Kiba the 'be ready' look. Then, he opened the door and carefully looked out.

The guards were still on the floor and bruises were forming where Lee had struck them earlier. He stared at them. Then, he stepped carefully around their bodies and into the main room. He heard Kiba and Naruto laugh behind him.

"Damn, he did!"

"Check out the bruises! Ha! They'll be feeling that tomorrow!"

Lee shushed them. Then, movement at the bar caught his eye. His eyes snapped over and he saw Sahou eyeing them from the bar. He had a bottle of dark caramel-colored alcohol and was sipping from a glass. He waved clumsily.

"Is that… Sahou?" asked Naruto, tilting his head a little. "Why isn't he- y'know- after us?"

"He is apparently on our side."  
"And drunk," added Kiba, gnawing on a piece of jerky.

"Yes, and drunk. Come on," Lee walked over to the number pad, which was the last line of defense against escape. Lee frowned and hesitated. He had been there and he had memorized the pass code, but he was unsure of its validity now and even if it was the same. But, with Sahou in his current state, it was his only option.

He reached out and pressed in the code. _Seven… five… three three… eight._

A little green light flashed and the door swung open. Lee sighed. What luck.

"Look!"  
Lee whirled around in time to see an arrow slam into his shoulder. He staggered and heard Kiba and Naruto consecutively swear. Through the pain blurring his vision, he saw the ten guards from the women's quarters running towards his small group.

The three darted out into the shop. Lee grabbed the matchbook from his pocket. He stopped at the door and turned around.

"What are you doing?" cried Naruto angrily. "They're after _us!_"

"Just go! Run!"

"We ain't leavin' y-"

"I am coming! Just go!"

"B-"

_"Go, damn it!"_

Shocked into silence, Kiba and Naruto darted across the road. Lee kicked over the metal canister and clear fluid spilled across the floor. He struck a match across the book.

"There they are!"  
Lee looked up and saw one of the faster guards reach the door His eyes widened as they went from the clear fluid on the floor to the burning match in Lee's hand.

"They're making a break for it!"  
"Get 'em!"

Lee met the eyes of the guard that had shot him and saw the kind of terror one only had when facing death. Suddenly, he was just a man fearing for his life. The heat of the match was reaching Lee's fingertips and the guards that wouldn't hesitate to kill him were seconds away. It was either their lives or his.

"There they are!"

Lee's eyes snapped from the archer to the other guards racing towards him. His mind raced, trying to decide in seconds whether his freedom was worth it.

Then, searing pain in his fingertips decided for him.

The guards disappeared behind a thin wall of roaring flames. Lee was forced to take a step back under the intensity of it. He could hear the guards yelling and trying to coordinate themselves behind it. He stared at the thin wall of fire and through the flickering light, he could see the panicked guards behind it. He grabbed the bags he had left outside and sprinted across the road to meet up with Kiba and Naruto. No one said a word. Lee simply passed them their bags and they darted away from the scene.

------

"How d'y'think we should get it out?"

"Yank it?"

"I dunno what other option we got. We can't _leave _it."

The small group sat behind a small outcropping of rocks, examining the arrow still protruding from Lee's shoulder in the light of an evening sun. Pain and hunger had finally halted the small group of runaways. They were in no way out of danger yet and fear of recapture made them antsy to get back to their feet.

Lee reached behind him with his good arm and touched the back of his shoulder. "We _are_ just going to have to pull it out."

"That's gonna hurt."

"I know."

"Wanna hold my hand?"

"That is probably not such a good idea, Naruto-kun."

"Why?"

"Well, last time someone tried that, I accidentally broke two of the bones in their hand and they didn't speak to me again until they got their cast off. Then, they punched me in the eye. It was a bad experience."

Naruto gave a sharp bark of laughter. "Seriously?"

"Serio- _**NNNH!"**_

Kiba held up the now loose arrow, blood dripping slowly down the shaft. "Bam."

Lee stared at him, one hand half way to his injury. His held breath came out in a shuddering pant.

"Hey, it's out, right? Let's see it," Kiba unzipped Lee's jacket and yanked it off. Then, he grabbed the edge of Lee's shirt and yanked it unceremoniously over his head. He tossed it aside. "Damn. Never seen an arrow do _that._"

Lee peered down at it. The slit in his shoulder, now bleeding considerably, was surrounded by an ugly, darkening bruise. "That is another injury, Kiba-kun."

"Damn. It's nasty. Y'got Band-aids? You're bleedin'."

"I am going to need a little more then a Band-aid, Naruto-kun. Hand me my bag."

Naruto reached over and grabbed Lee's backpack. He passed it over, saying, "Y'think you'll be alright? We got a ways t'go."

"I will be fine. I have had far worse," Lee fished around in his backpack until he came up with gauze and medical tape. Kiba took it from him. Lee's hand settled down on his leg as Kiba folded the gauze and secured it to the arrow wound with tape. Then, Lee pressed heavily with his hand, feeling the blood rush beneath his scorched fingers. "Thank you, Kiba-kun."

"Nh," Kiba stared at Lee for a moment, chewing on his bottom lip with sharp teeth. "Lee?"

Lee pulled his shirt back over his head. "Yes?"

"Y… y'didn't happen t'… y'know… find our forehead protectors, did ya?"

"Oh! I am sorry!" Lee grabbed his bag and frantically fished for the two blue headbands. "I completely forgot about them!"

When he came up with the two headbands, the two shinobi just stared.

"Y… you really have them," Naruto stated breathlessly, reaching out and taking his. He felt over the silver metal, feeling the tiny scratches on the surface. "It's really… mine…"

Kiba grabbed his and pressed the blue fabric to his face, taking a deep breath. He sighed, pulling away the headband and staring at it miraculously. "It _is._ D-damn, I thought David woulda tossed 'em. H-how'd y'find it?"

"They… were in being kept."

"What d'y'mean?"

"They are here, right? That is really all that matters at the moment."

"Oi, bushy brow, don't hold out on me," Naruto said, tying the headband tightly around his forehead. "You've gotta story, don't ya? Three months of servicin' _Master_ David? C'mon!"

"He was with _David?!_" Kiba exclaimed, turning to Lee with amazed eyes. "How was it?"

"I… I-I would rather not discuss it… now," Lee closed his bag and looked up at the setting sun. "Kiba-kun? Can you run anymore?"

"Ha!" Kiba stood up, tightening his forehead protector. He smirked. "I got so much fight left in me, y'have t'kill me t'stay here!"

"Naruto-kun?"

"Pft! If _Kiba_ can, _I_ can!"

"Good. I would like to get as far as possible before nightfall. The guards probably have their bearings back by now and are sending word to M- David, if he has not already woken up."

Naruto howled with laughter. "I _wish_ I was there to see his face when he sees what we left behind!"

"What was _in_ that bottle, Lee?"

"I do not know!"

"I gotta get me some, whatever it was!" Naruto gave a sharp bark of laughter. "Sasuke would _freak_ if he saw the 'fire jutsu' _I'd_ pull off!"

Kiba and Naruto shared a huge fit of laughter imagining the look on the Uchiha's face. Lee tried to laugh with them, but his mind was elsewhere.

His eyes wandered over his shoulder, where miles away his fire was probably contained and likely already out. The fire would drive business to the ground for months, but Lee had no doubts that Master David would spring back without a dent in his wallet. Lee knew that a man with such fortune and such ties would stop at nothing to seize what little could destroy him.

Three teenage boys weren't much to destroy. The idea of having Master David as an enemy was a frightening thought.

"Lee?"

Lee turned back to the present. Kiba and Naruto were both looking at him. Naruto frowned and put his hands behind his head idly. "You know the way, bushy brow. Get with the program."

"R-right," Lee picked up his bag and strapped it to his back, careful of his injury. "Come on."

Lee kept his team close to the road, as leaving it in the flat land was useless. He kept close watch on Naruto and Kiba, watching for that telltale stagger in their step. It wasn't long before the sun dipped down behind the horizon, bringing with it the promise to quell the fire in his lungs and stop the dissenting of his muscles.

Lee settled his charges in a spot considerably far from the road, covered merely by a few small bushes and the cloak of night. His team was almost asleep on their feet, but stubbornly refused to admit their weariness, going as far as to protest the stop. Fear and pride nearly allowed Lee to give in and continue, but he knew better.

Lee sat down heavily. He could see the vague outlines of his new teammates in the dark of the night, as well as the slight sheen in Kiba's savage eyes. "We will rise at sunrise and continue to the next town. I believe that it will be the only stop we're going to be able to make."

"Why?" asked Naruto, yawning widely. "There are other towns, right?"

"Yes, but by tomorrow, I believe the word will be out that we have escaped and we will have to avoid highly populated areas until we reach Konoha and have our seals removed. Months of inactivity have left us weak. If we are forced to fight in our condition, we would lose."

Lee heard Kiba scoff roughly. "I could take anyone."

He was answered with a loud snore. Naruto was lost to dreams of home, leaving Kiba and Lee to plan their next move.

"Kiba-kun."

"Yeah?"

"You need to sleep."

"Oh, don't give me that! I can take first watch!"

"I realize that, but I woke you when you were supposed to be sleeping. I am more rested then you are."

"Am not! Y'were runnin', too!"

"Kiba-kun. Please."

There was a moment of silence before Lee heard Kiba flop down on the sickly grass. "Well, fine! If y'gonna _beg._ Wake me up in a few hours, a'ight? Don't bother with blondy."

"Alright. Sleep well, Kiba-kun."

There was a long bout of silence before Kiba spoke again.

"Oi, Lee."

"Yes?"

"D'y'think…. we're actually going to make it?"

Lee stared at his friend's outline. The slight sheen of moonlight against savage eyes stood out against the darkness. "Of course I do."

"No, like really. What sorta chance do we stand? Don't sugarcoat it, either."

Lee sighed. "Why do you ask?"

"Y'were with David for awhile, right? Y'know how he is. Straight up, Lee, spill. Y'think he'll hunt us down?"

Lee pressed his lips together, needlessly averting his gaze. He searched his mind for an answer. There he knew that Master David was a cruel businessman with silver in his mouth and gold in his pockets. He would spare no expense to see that they were found and brought back, dead or alive, and he had the connections to track them down_ anywhere. _Truthfully, Lee doubted that Konoha would provide any safety for them.

But, in his heart, he wanted to believe that Master David had grown fond of him in those many months and hope that perhaps he would simply brush this off and continue with his inherited monstrosity.

Lee couldn't tell such a thing to Kiba, though. He shook his head. "I am… not confident, but Gai-sensei always said that luck is part of a shinobi's strength. I believe that I have always had a great deal of it, though some could argue differently."

"So, yes or no? Y'think we're gonna make it?"

"Yes. I do."

"Well, that's great," Kiba murmured around a yawn. Lee heard him shift in the sharp grass. "See ya in a couple hours, Lee."

"Alright, Kiba-kun."

Lee soon heard Kiba's snores join Naruto's. Somehow it allowed him to relax a little more and, in the silence, he pondered over Kiba's question some more.


	17. Attacked

Rock Lee's eyes fluttered open and his dark eyes slowly took in where he was in the rays of a rising sun. He sat up and checked on his team. When they were accounted for, he stretched until every joint in his body popped. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes. He had dozed off somewhere in the night. When he had the time, he would let himself have it. But now, he quietly went about waking up his team and getting the sleepy teenagers to eat.

It took the better part of an hour, some bribes and a couple threats before his team was fed and perked up enough to fight with each other. Lee let them punch each other stupid while he planned out their day.

As far as they had traveled in their panic the day before, Lee supposed that it would take them only an hour at maximum to reach their first destination. There, he figured that it would take them about three hours to switch clothes, stock up on supplies and arm themselves, assuming that their needs could be met there. Then, it would be a straight run towards Konoha from then on.

Of course, it was quite simplified. There were many things Lee was assuming wouldn't occur, like the unavailability of weapons or encountering the enemy. But, he ran out of time to worry about it when Kiba socked Naruto in the stomach hard enough to stun him, making him the unofficial winner of that round. After Naruto managed to catch his breath, they were ready to go.

Kiba came up beside Lee and asked, "So, what's the plan? We get there, stock up and leave?"

"Basically."

"We splittin' up?"

"I was not planning on it. Call me paranoid, Kiba-kun, but I am worried about even walking into a town at the moment. I fell asleep last night and I am unsure of if anyone passed us during the night."

"I noticed. So, what's first?"

"I do not know, Kiba-kun. I am assuming that we would encounter food first, followed by clothing. I am still unsure of the availability of weapons, but I am hopeful."

"There's a chance we ain't going t'be able to _arm_ ourselves?" Naruto exclaimed disbelievingly.

"I am unsure. We are not heading into a shinobi village."

"Y'would figure that every town would have weapons," murmured Naruto bitterly. "No wonder they're always comin' t'us."

Lee shrugged. "It does not matter. We will do the best we can."

"Right."

"Then come on!"Naruto yelled, darting down the road. "I don't wanna wait 'n find out!"

"Other way, Naruto-kun!"

"Right!" Naruto turned around on his heel and sped off ahead.

Lee smiled and shook his head.

A thirty-minute run had the town in sight. It looked quiet, almost forgotten. Lee frowned and slowed down, almost coming to a stop at the entrance to the town. Kiba and Naruto looked around.

"Awful quiet," commented Naruto plainly. "Where is everyone?"

"Maybe they're still inside. It's pretty early."

Lee frowned. "I suppose that is a good thing. We need to get out of here as soon as possible."

"I hear that. I think tha-"

"Check it out!"

Lee and Kiba looked towards where Naruto was pointing. The first store in the town, at the very entrance, held a sign saying, _Gespa's Swords and Weaponry._ Kiba laughed. "What luck, eh, Lee? First store!"

Lee stared at the sign, frowning deeply. "That is odd… you think a weapons shop would be hidden within town. Even Konoha's takes some time to get to-"

"I ain't complainin'!" Naruto exclaimed, darting into the shop without second thought.

"Well, come on, Lee. Let's get in there 'n stop 'im from gettin' himself killed," Kiba stepped forward, but Lee placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Kiba-kun, this is very unusual. There is something odd about a weapons shop on the outskirts of town."

"I don't think we got much of a choice. It's either this or risk a trip unarmed."

Lee clicked his tongue and stared hard at the store sign. "I am almost tempted to take the risk."

"Yer bein' paranoid. Let's go."

Lee took a glance down the road before he grudgingly followed Kiba into the store. They spotted the occasional flicker of orange among the shelves lined with weapons of all sorts. Swords of any length and style, staffs of all wood, maces of all weight, piles upon piles of shuriken and senbon needles…

Tenten would have died and gone to this place instead of heaven.

Surely, it was too good to be true. Lee looked around for the storekeeper, but he was nowhere to be found. He hesitantly stepped through the store, eyeing the dangerous items around him as if expecting them to jump up and attack him. He could see Naruto stroking the edge of a particularly nasty looking dagger, looking as if it were made of gold and diamond. Kiba was checking out razor wires, testing them with skilled hands.

Lee swallowed nervously and continued to look through the dark store. The light from the few windows glinted off the steel lining walls and shelves. Paranoia was eating at his stomach, making his eyes dart to every shadow that flickered over the walls.

_Get a hold of yourself,_ Lee told himself firmly, his eyes jerking unintentionally to another wavering shadow. He took a quiver and examined one of the arrows inside. _You are on a time limit. The faster you choose your weapon, the sooner you can l-_

Lee grabbed a spear and whirled around.

_SNAP!_

Lee twisted the staff in his hand and took the sword embedded in the wood with it. He tossed it away and grabbed another, posing ready for a second attack. His dark eyes flickered around him, but his attacker was nowhere to be found. He carefully inched back, trying to look everywhere at once.

_Weapons do not jump up on their own… where is its wielder?_

Lee turned around sharply and darted off into the store, calling his teammates names. Every corner he took seemed only to lead to more shelves, more corners to turn. He had lost track of the exit as he had lost track of his friends.

Kunai slammed into the ground in front of him. He jerked back and turned sharply on his heel. He darted down another row of shelves. He skidded to a halt, panting heavily and looking around desperately. There was no _way_ the store was that big. Confident no one would hear it, Lee swore.

_Alright, calm down,_ he told himself, eyeing his surroundings suspiciously. _You have had weapons with no wielders attack you and the small store you walked into has suddenly turned into a maze. This is not brain surgery; you have been caught in genjutsu!_

Lee eyed the spear in his hand and took a deep breath. He flipped the spear in his hand. A shrill cry stopped his hand before he could strike. He recognized the terror-stricken scream. He ran.

"Naruto-kun!"

The blonde boy whirled around. His sapphire eyes were wide with horror and his face was pale as death. "Bushy brow!"

"Naruto-kun! We must get out of here! Where is- Naruto-kun!"

Naruto turned around in time to see a knife lash out at him. The blonde boy fell to his knees, both hands grabbing at his injury. Blood spurted from his mouth and disbelief momentarily overshadowed his fear.

_**"Naruto!"**_

Lee grabbed his friend's shoulders. Naruto gasped and coughed, trying to breathe through the slash in his neck. Lee pressed his hand against Naruto's, trying uselessly to staunch the flow of blood. Naruto's panicked blue eyes met his.

"N-naruto- _Kyaaah!"_

Lee's legs were suddenly jerked out from under him. His back hit the ground hard. Lee writhed to get to his feet, but his hands snapped to the floor of their own accord. Lee frantically looked between his mutinous arms.He opened his mouth to yell for Kiba, only to find he was suddenly voiceless.

Then, the weapon racks lost solidity, splashing to the floor in a cascade of paint. The colors swirled together, darkening as they inched towards him like a living creature. The windows went dark, filtering in a dim red light. The paint surged over his arms, hardening to a dark crimson and trapping his rebellious hands to the floor. The walls went black, though the shadows still crept over them, now living and waiting for their chance to strike.

Inside, he panicked. His thoughts raced, his heart pounded and his breathing became labored. He screamed mutely, desperate for anyone in the melting world to hear him. He laid on the swirling floor, the harsh breath of the beasts in the shadows the only thing in his ears.

Suddenly, the room flipped over like a kicked box, jerking Lee in his bonds. The paint surged down off the wall and back to the floor, splashing into place.

_How?!_ Lee thought, struggling helplessly in his bonds._ Who is controlling this genjutsu?_

"Child, child…"

Lee's eyes snapped open and he shrieked, renewing his efforts with the kind of power only desperateness could provide.

In the silence, the sound of silk hissing across the floor was like the tongues of a thousand snakes echoing around in the darkness. The shadows bubbled on the walls, the beasts within growing restless and snarling in their prison. Lee struggled harder, his wide eyes tearing with panic as they watched the pale figure glide closer.

He froze when an unnaturally soft hand pressed against his cheek. A chill ran down his spine and an uncontrollable trembling seized his limbs. The hand moved gently, pushing his eyes up to meet the cold amber eyes fixated on his face.

"Hello again, child."

Tears of terror spilled down Lee's cheeks. His mind told him to struggle, to fight, to get away by any means necessary. However, his body wouldn't respond. Those pale amber eyes held him like no chain could, trapping him.

"What's the matter, child? No greeting words for your master? That's too bad," The hand slid down his face and slipped almost carefully around his neck. He squeezed gently, making Lee's body convulse. "It is not every day I revisit an impure slave."

Orochimaru's hand tightened a little. "Tell me, child. How does it feel? Knowing how much your price _dropped_ after I met you? How much less you were worth?"

Lee swallowed, feeling the air press against the man's hand. Orochimaru's grip increased. "I'm waiting."

Lee gasped, struggling to take in air from under the man's grip. Orochimaru leaned in slowly, his breath cold against Lee's skin. "It seems the cat has your tongue, child. I don't mind. You are worthless to me, as you are now to the rest of the world."

Orochimaru thrust his hand forward, slamming Lee's head back against the wall and pressing hard against his throat. Lee gagged, breaking free of the man's eyes to struggle against him.

"So, I bid you a fond farewell, child. You had promise, but rebellion is death for a slave. Do not fret, though. There is a place in Hell for sex slaves."

Lee thrashed in his bonds as the edges of his vision blurred. This could not be it. He had lost one teammate. If he died, the other would go as well. A death under genjutsu was _not_ how he wanted to go. He had to get home. He had risked too much to die here. He had done things he swore he wouldn't. He had forgotten everything to escape and return home. He had to live. He _had _to!

However, the strength was draining from his body as his lungs shriveled in his chest. His vision began to darken and the world began to fade. In his ears was the distant sound of laughter…

_Neji…_

_**"Lee!"**_

Pain exploded through Lee's cheek, adding to the sudden throbbing pain in his face. His eyes snapped open to see his alive, though battered team.

"K-Kiba-kun! N-Naruto-kun!"

"We haf t'go!" snapped Kiba quickly. Blood was drying on his lips. "We're bein' attathed!"

"Excuse me?"

"He said get up and go!" Naruto barked, pressing a dirk into his hand. He grabbed his wrist and jerked him to his feet. Lee was suddenly jerked forward in a headlong dash for the door. The last thing he expected was to make it and out into the sunlight.

He blinked hard against it, but dashed semi-blindly down the path and into the town. He heard people around him crying out, yelling 'blood' and 'injured' and 'ninjas'. But, he knew he couldn't stop. He knew that an unknown attacker was on his heels and no one here would stop them from obtaining runaways. Only a glance to either side of him confirmed his team knew it as well.

The town was small and soon the team was on open road again. They ran down it with abandon, knowing fully that any second not going forward could cost them.

"Oi, Lee! We need thoo geth oth teh road!"

"Kiba-kun, what is wrong with your voice?"

His responds was about as intelligible as the first. Lee shook his head. "Kiba-kun, I cannot understand you. We will have to stop and tend injuries. We have to get off the road and find a place to hide."

Kiba snapped viciously at him.

"Still cannot understand, Kiba-kun."

Kiba rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath. Nevertheless, he twisted on his feet and darted diagonally off the road. Lee wasn't too far behind, grabbing and turning Naruto as well. Kiba's sharp eyes spotted the forest line first. Pain and panic didn't stop the smile that spread across Lee's face.

_"Yeah!" _screamed Naruto, putting a burst of speed into his run._ "_We're almost _home!_"

"Naruto-kun, lower your voice. We are only on the outskirts of the Land of Fire. We are still in danger," Lee reminded him gently. He was ecstatic that they made it this far, but he had made such a mistake before.

Kiba led them deeper into the thickening forest and chose a spot under a fallen tree. They gratefully collapsed to the ground. Lee looked around and saw that Naruto was gently feeling a swelling wrist and Kiba was lightly brushing his fingers over a bitten tongue.

He had escaped with the least amount of damage.

He pulled off his bag and fished out his first aid supplies. He moved next to Naruto and held out his hands. Naruto moved his wrist away from Lee. "No, it's fine!"

"I will be the judge of that, Naruto-kun. Now please."

"No! I'm alright!"

"Naruto-kun. What happened?"

"Nothing. J… look at Kiba!"

"Naruto-kun, let me see. We cannot stay here to fight each other."

Naruto groaned and dejectedly held the swelled wrist out. Lee examined it carefully. The heavily bruising and swelling were familiar to him. He frowned and lightly pressed the injury in a few choice places. Naruto hissed and winced, his fingers curling into a fist. Lee clicked his tongue angrily. "Shoot, it is broken."

"Can ya thet it?"

"Set it? No."

"Y'd think y'woulth."

"I know. But, the best I can do is wrap it and hope we can run into back up deeper into the forest."

"Crap," Naruto looked away as Lee began wrapping the fractured wrist. He made no other noises except for the occasional grunt of pain. Lee took one of the knives from Naruto's belt and cut the bandages.

"Kiba-kun, I am unsure of what I can do for you except ask you to try not to talk. Perhaps that will speed up the healing."

Kiba rolled his eyes.

"That is all I can currently see. Have either of you had any other serious injuries?"

"No."

"No."

"Kiba-kun."

"Thorry."

"Right," Lee sighed and he tended to the matter at hand. "I believe it is obvious what went wrong today. That attack drove us out of town before we could obtain the supplies we needed."

"Yeah, but we're armed, aren't we?" Naruto offered bluntly. "And we're so close to home. A day, maybe two! I can handle that. And besides, now that we're back in the Land of Fire, the chances of us runnin' into other Konoha ninjas have gone up, right?"

"Yes, but I will not count on such a slim chance at the moment. The Land of Fire is large and there are a million ways to leave it. I do not know what land we were in, so there is a good chance it is uncommon for Konoha ninja to go into it. Assuming that, there is a low chance of meeting with back up out here."

"Then, we need t'go thurther in!"

"Kiba-kun, the talking. Nevertheless, you are right. We still have a few hours of sunlight left. We need to move."

"Right!" Naruto stood up and stretched, wincing as he jarred his wrist. Grinning through the pain, he stated plainly, "Oi, Lee. Since you're our leader 'n all, think y'll be treatin' us t'ramen when we get home?"

"Don' do ith!"

"Shut up, Kiba! Your tongue won't heal!"


	18. Missions

Neji Hyuuga sat alone, high in the branches of a tree near the wall protecting Konoha. His pale eyes watched the treetops on the outside and the road leading out of the village, the only road out and the road that had been used by the thieves who had kidnapped his teammate. From here, he could even see the split where they had escaped notice on a lesser road. He remembered walking down that road, filled with the hope that he could catch up to them and reclaim what was rightfully his.

But, that hope was long gone.

Rock Lee was being replaced.

He had been expecting the news. A year was the maximum time for an active genin squad to be without a third member. The end of the twelfth month was quickly approaching and the graduation exams were only a week away. Bartering more time was out of the question.

The particular tree he was in probably wasn't the best place to be after such depressing news. It was the place where he and Lee came to watch the sunset, if life permitted. The place where he had first introduced the idea of tongue in a kiss. The place where Lee had first murmured 'I love you' in his ear.

Perhaps he should have gone to see if Gai-sensei was alright. After all, he wasn't sure if his teacher was going to make it. He had watched his once high-spirited and optimistic teacher collapse under the weight of his own grief in the Hokage's office. Depression had weakened the Jounin beyond belief and the verbalization of the news had been too much for him.

Neji had felt his age for the first time in years when medical ninja were summoned to take his sensei to the hospital. Obviously, it had showed on his face as well. The Hokage had called Kakashi to stand in for Gai, on the judgment that neither Neji nor Tenten were fit to hear the explanation alone.

Neji would never admit he was grateful for the support. He only knew Kakashi as his sensei's rival, but Kakashi had stayed with them even after the explanation, offering veteran-style comfort and a listening ear. Sakura had been there, too, with a box of tissues and sincere words, having heard the news and done her crying. Neji hadn't taken part in any of their services, though Tenten had snagged a few tissues for her sudden allergies.

Inside he knew that he should talk to someone, but no one knew how he felt for Lee. Tenten was the _only_ one he'd willingly tell and she wouldn't speak to anyone at the moment. For once, he wished that Tenten wasn't such a tomboy and that she would at least let him talk to her. But, she would not hear of it. He had no doubts she was peppering a tree with shuriken, kicking the sap from another and yelling at one that had done nothing to deserve it.

He sighed heavily and leaned back against the tree trunk.

_Perhaps this is fate's way of saying it was time,_ Neji thought, staring up through the tree branches at the bright blue sky.

Neji frowned at it. Who did the Hokage think he was, anyway? They had no proof Lee was dead. For all they knew, he could just be lost. He never had a good sense of direction. And what was with the newbie they planned on shoving in his place? Stick a bumbling little novice in with genin of two years? That was ridiculous. He would cower and die on their first mission, if the Hokage didn't go and send them all back to rookie work.

And what was going to happen to them if Gai-sensei didn't make it? What then? Would they keep him and Tenten together and find them a different teacher? Or would they trash the newbie idea and break them up to fill in the spots on the other two teams? If the Hokage could _think_ of replacing Lee, Neji no longer doubted he'd rip apart the rest of Team Gai, too.

Neji sighed roughly and sat up. He was going to make sure that anything new that came into Team Gai was going to go through hell. New teacher, new teammate, new team, anything. He was going to tear them apart.

There was a flash of color in the corner of his eye. He turned towards the gate to see a three man squad returning from a mission. They looked flustered, frightened almost. They were talking quickly to the shinobi behind the desk, waving their arms toward the gate and gesturing urgency. The desk ninjas exchanged glances.

Neji frowned and stood up. He scurried down the tree and pressed against the back of the desk, listening carefully to the hurried conversation.

"…through the town we were sent to! Kotetsu, you have to believe us!"

"I can't believe that. It's been too long!"

"But, it's true! They matched the description. Three teenagers, one blond, one brown, one black. They even bore Konoha headbands! Izumo-!"

"I'm sorry, Benso, but that is impossible. We have information saying the missing genin have been pronounced dead."

"They _aren't!_ We saw them in Kurobuki!"

Neji's eyes widened. He had passed through Kurobuki not three months ago!

"Benso, you are hysterical-"

"They're being _pursued!_ They were already injured. It is only a matter of time before they're caught!"

"Why didn't you go after them then?"

"We're just genin ourselves! What could we have done?"

"Benso, you and your team obviously have had a rough trip. I'll turn in your report. You all get some r-"

"You aren't listening, Izumo! We need to send a back up squad to search for them before it's too late!"

"Benso, listen to yourself-"

Neji had heard enough. He darted away from the gates. To hell with Kotetsu _and_ Izumo. If they weren't going to form a back up squad, he would. He knew two people that would drop everything and leave without question.

As he leapt across the rooftops in the direction of the training grounds, he spotted a splotch of bright pink leaving the Yamanaka's flower shop. Neji skidded to a halt and peered down at the girl. He frowned. Sakura would be an asset to his team, but she was also a compulsive goody-goody. If he told her he was running off without notifying the Hokage, she would likely do it for him.

_Damn._

Neji leapt down off the roof and leaded firmly in front of the pink-haired kunoichi. Sakura jumped and water from the flower bag she was holding splashed over her fingers.

"Neji-san!" she exclaimed, wiping her hand on her dress. "I was just about to go visit your sensei. Would you like t-?"

"Shut up and listen, Sakura."

Sakura visibly jerked at the sharp tone. She gripped the lily in her hand and closed her mouth.

"I know where Naruto is."

"Are you serious?! Does the Hoka-"

"Sakura! Listen. He doesn't and we don't have time to tell him. Go home and pack your things. If you want to be part of this, meet me by the western wall in exactly forty-five minutes."

"But, if we leave-"

"You either come or you don't, Sakura. If it helps you decide, you'd be an asset," Neji turned sharply and scaled back up to the rooftops, leaving Sakura to decide on her own. He ran faster then ever. He had lost valuable time and he still had two different stops to make. He made a bee line towards the training grounds, where he knew he'd find his female teammate.

He vaulted over the fence surrounding it and immediately heard the sound of cracking wood. Following the sound, he found Tenten hurling kunai at a straw dummy that looked more like a pin cushion. She was muttering viciously to herself, as if placing a curse on the world that wronged her.

"Tenten!"

She stiffened at the sound of his voice, but didn't stop her training "What is it, Neji? I'm busy."

"Stop being busy and gather your weapons. We're leaving."

"You can tell the Hokage that if he thinks I'm going to go on any more missions for him after the stunt he pulled on us, he can go straight t-"

"I know where Lee is."

The kunai she was working with shot off into the trees, splintering twigs and disappearing in the foliage. She whirled around, her brown eyes wide as dinner plates. _"What?!_"

"Go pack your things and meet me by the western wall in forty minutes. Be ready to leave immediately."

"How did you find ou-?"

"I'll explain later. Just go."

"Right!" Tenten tapped her scroll with two fingers and her kunai exploded in a surge of white smoke. She pocketed her scroll before running over and giving Neji a quick hug around the neck. "I sure hope you're right, Neji."

"Me, too, Tenten."

With that, the two darted off in different directions, Tenten towards home, Neji towards the hospital.

When Neji skidded to a halt outside the hospital, several patients gave him an odd look. A few of the nurses looked up, but they were used to insane ninja. Neji's breathing was heavy and his walk was brisk as he stepped into the hospital and up to the front desk.

The medical ninja's smile disappeared as he asked hesitantly, "C-can I help y-"

"I need Maito Gai's room number."

"Maito Gai? He currently isn't taking visitors-"

"I don't care. This is urgent."

The medical ninja quailed under his white eyes. He swallowed nervously. "He isn't ta-"

"Room number. _Now."_

"205, second floor, on the left."

"Thank you," Neji heard the medical ninja sigh as he turned and left the front desk. He kept his walk brisk, though the temptation to break into an all out sprint was intense. Nurses stepped wordlessly out of his way and gave him a concerned look before returning to their business.

_Here we are,_ Neji turned to the door and the nurse writing on her clipboard in front of it. She looked up, shrieked and fell to the floor in a dead faint.

Neji stared at her. He sighed. They were _really_ desperate for nursing staff. He stepped over her and entered the dimly lit room. The sight that greeted him was heart wrenching.

He had never seen his sensei in the hospital, probably because the man always found a way to escape, insisting that he was doing more damage in the hospital then outside training. Then, he had been mystifyingly hardheaded and full of a lust for life. But, now he just looked so… helpless. Even in sleep, he looked as if all that previous zest he had harbored for living in an unrelentingly cruel world just vanished.

Neji silently closed the door and locked it behind him. The beeping of various monitors and the click of the IV seemed unrealistically loud in the silence. Consciously, he knew that time was slipping away as he stood there like an idiot, time that he needed to pack and get on with his self-imposed mission. But, it just stunned him to think that Lee was _all _Gai had lived for, that the loss of him could drive a once passionate man so far into the depths of depression that life was just too much.

The quiet tapping of his shoes against the floor seemed to echo as he sat down next to Gai's bedside. He reached out carefully and just barely poked his sensei.

Gai's eyes opened and slid slowly over to him.

"Neji? What are you doing here?"

Neji's hand drew back slowly. "When do you think you'll be back on missions?"

Gai's eyes slid away from him and up to the ceiling. "I don't think I'll be going on any more missions."

An electric shock ripped through Neji's body, making his body tingle and his mind go numb. "Why?"

"I am not strong enough anymore."

"What? Your body can't be _that_ worn down-"

"It isn't my body, Neji. Physically, I could be better, but… it just isn't going to happen."

"Lee?"

Gai didn't respond immediately. He closed his eyes and pursed his lips for a moment. Minutes passed before he opened them again. "He was everything to me."

"That's why I'm here, sensei. I know… I think I know where he is."

Gai's heart monitor went mad. "What?"

"It is a long story, but I need to know if you could go for one more mission, if for nothing but closure."

Gai sat up and gripped all the wires attached to his chest in one hand. With a single pull, he ripped them off and yanked out his IV. Tiny drops of blood dotted the sheets. Neji grabbed Gai's wrist as he moved to get out of bed.

"Gai-sensei, listen. You collapsed earlier. If you even _think_ you can't handle this, you need to stay here. We are on a time limit and cannot stop if your body gives out on you."

Gai's face broke into a somberly determined grin for the first time in what seemed like eternity. His dark eyes met Neji's with an unfamiliar fire. A fire of vengeance.

"I will _never_ be too weak to rescue _my_ student."

Neji instinctively drew back from his sensei's fierce gaze. "Meet me at the western wall in… thirty minutes. Be ready to leave immediately. I'll fill you in on the way. You should _probably_ take the window."

0-0-0

Neji looked at the group assembled in front of him. He had never seen such a ragtag bunch of ninja in his life. Maito Gai and Tenten were switching impatiently from foot to foot, their dying fires suddenly rekindled by the rumor Neji had introduced to them. Sakura had taken it upon herself to flesh out the team with people she believed would asset them. Neji was not impressed with her choices. She had chosen Shikamaru, the laziest ninja he could think of, and Hinata, the most cowardly ninja he could think of.

But, all of them looked eager to get on the road. Except Shikamaru, who was never eager about anything.

"So what's the deal, Neji?" Shikamaru asked, scratching his cheek idly. "Why'd Sakura make me pack for an unannounced mission?"

"We're going after our kidnapped comrades."

"Haven't you done that before? Do you have any idea where you're going this time?"

"Yes. We're going to go straight through the forest in the direction of Kurobuki."

"Kurobuki?" exclaimed Tenten, grabbing Gai's sleeve and twisting angrily. "We were _just_ there! We passed _right_ through it! Neji, you have got to be kidding!"

Neji shook his head. "It was where a group of returning genin said they spotted the missing ninja following a straight path to Konoha. They're injured and are likely being pursued by their former captors."

"Then why didn't the Hokage formally assign a rescue squad?" Sakura asked worriedly.

"Because they've been pronounced dead. At this point, no one is even going to report it. He'll never hear about it until we show up missing."

Hinata's eyes widened considerably. "Th-that's awful!"

"I will not lie to you. There is a chance that the returning squad _was_ hallucinating after a long mission. There is also a chance that the captured ninja have been recaptured, killed or that any of us could suffer a similar fate. In any case, now is your chance to back out if you believe this mission is in vain."

His eyes immediately went to Hinata, whose pale eyes dove to the ground and she began twiddling her fingers. He looked to Shikamaru, who yawned and rolled his eyes. Then, he turned his gaze to Sakura, who averted her eyes and twisted her bag strap between her hands. But, none of them left.

Neji nodded. "Right. Let's move."

The squad moved silently and quickly over the wall into the surrounding forest. Following Neji closely, they darted away from Konoha. Neji's pale eyes were dead ahead of him as he made a bee line towards Kurobuki.

_Well, Lee, we're coming. Let's see what you got._


	19. Genjutsu

"Shoot! I thought we had more time!"

Rock Lee glared desperately at the sky, willing the sun to stay up a little longer. But, the shadows in the forest were growing long and foreboding and night would be upon him and his small group in less then an hour. Without their chakra and their strength, the shroud of darkness did not protect them as it once had been. Night was not their friend.

Kiba frowned and kind of collapsed onto the ground. "We thould thop here."

"It's as gooda place as any," Naruto commented dryly. He sat down and put his back against a tree with a sigh. "So, I'm guessin' a fire is out of the question?"

"I do not know," Lee replied softly. "On one hand, there is the risk that it will alert any pursuers we have to our position. On the other, if we are found regardless, we will be blinded by the darkness and be at a huge disadvantage."

"Tho we're thucked either way."

"Pretty much. It is either risk being found or risk being found and being blind."

"Sucks both ways. So what do ya wanna do, bushy brow?"

"I do not know… Here. Let us let luck decide. I am thinking of a number between one and ten. Kiba-kun, if you are closer, we will build a fire. Naruto-kun, if you are closer, we will not. Alright?"

"Fine. Seven."

"Thor."

"It was three."

Naruto grinned. "Alright then! Now pull one of your fancy luck games and decide whose gettin' firewood!"

Lee rolled his eyes. "I will."

"I can'th thay with Narutho. I'm goin' thoo."

"Kiba-kun-"

"Thut up! I'm goin'!"

Lee sighed softly and turned to Naruto. "You stay. We will be right back."

Naruto threw him a mock salute and a cheeky grin. "Righto, captain."

Lee rolled his eyes and smiled as he turned into the forest. He had little day light left and he needed it to gather the right wood and make it back to camp. His eyes searched the ground carefully for dry wood and grass. It was strangely nostalgic and almost involuntarily, he found himself humming as he had when on simple missions. Somehow, it managed to ease his frayed nerves.

_You're off-key._

_So?_

_So you're flat and tone deaf. Shut up._

Lee sighed. He glanced at the darkening sky and at the pile balanced skillfully on one arm. _I am tempted to keep looking, but it is getting very da-_

"Lee?"

Lee's entire body stiffened. His eyes moved first, followed by his body twisting around to look at the unbearably familiar voice.

His dark eyes met beautiful white.

The wood clattered to the forest floor. Lee fully turned around on shaking legs. He and Neji stared at each other, neither knowing whether to believe what they were seeing or not.

"Lee."

Neji's voice was breathless, as if shock had sucked the breath from his lungs. He stepped forward slowly on legs that suddenly were too weak to hold his weight. His hands shakily went up, reaching out for the lover he had missed for so long.

_"Neji-kun!"_

Lee's shriek echoed through the forest as he threw himself forward, going past Neji's hands and directly into his arms. The force of the impact drove them both backward, but Lee held his lover with the intent of crushing him with affection. Tears splashed down his cheeks as he sobbed shamelessly into Neji's shoulder. His hands clawed at Neji's shirt, searching for a magic hold allowing him to drag him closer.

Neji's arms were tight around his neck, his breath like music in Lee's ear as he gasped, "My god, where have you been?"

"It does not matter. I am here _now,"_ Lee was half-sobbing and half-laughing. After a long, agonizing year, he was all but home! He had his Neji again and there was no way he was alone. Gai-sensei and Tenten were probably right behind him. They would go get Naruto and Kiba and they would _all_ go home. Lee buried his face in Neji's silky hair. This was a feeling he could not compare to anything.

"Lee, I can't breathe."

"I do not care."

Neji's placed his hands on Lee's hips and pushed him away. Lee clung to his shirt, keeping him close. He met those striking white eyes again, those amazing eyes whose power rival clans lusted for. Brilliant eyes that had been the difference between success and failure on countless occasions. Wonderful eyes he had been denied for so long, that he had missed seeing in the mornings when he went to training and at night when he went home. The same eyes that had held him captive, breathless and compliant with unbearably little effort.

Lee stood to let go of Neji's shirt with one hand, bringing it up to rest on his beautifully pale cheek. His skin was warm against his shaking fingers. His thumb rested on the slight curve on the corner of Neji's lips. He leaned in carefully, his heart raced and momentarily he forgot anything else existed.

Neji tensed and turned sharply.

Lee felt every nerve in his body spark, as if he had been turned back on. His senses flared and his body stiffened.

They were not alone.

Lee released Neji's shirt and opted for the dagger at his waist. His eyes went instinctively to Neji. The veins stood out boldly from Neji's once smooth face, pulsing softly as his eyes flickered between places invisible to Lee's eyes. Lee watched with worry as his face grew steadily more and more concerned, nervous even.

"Neji-kun?"

"I don't see him, but I _know_ he's there," Neji murmured softly. His hand inched to his kunai holster and he drew his weapon, his grip tight and precise. "He's practically radiating chakra."

Lee frowned and narrowed his eyes slightly. "Can you not pinpoint the source?"

"If I could, then we'd have him, wouldn't we?"

Lee pursed his lips and drew the dagger at his waist.

Then, Neji's body moved in a single jerk, twisting him around and throwing the kunai in his hand into the trees. There was the hollow sound of metal striking wood and a series of tiny rustles. Neji had missed, but he had found their spy. Kunai flew from his hands, forcing the spy in the trees to dodge and twist. Then, Neji slammed a knife directly in front of him and a body leapt down, hitting the ground on his feet.

The man stood up, everything but his arms and half his face disappearing into the dimming lighting. He brushed a hand back across his sandy hair, his fingers tracing the hilt of a sword. "I didn't expect less."

Lee's body convulsed and his knees got weak, almost sending him to the floor. His eyes grew wide, his heart raced and his breath grew shallow with terror.

"M-Master David?!"

The man reached up and lightly pulled down his mask, exposing lips pressed tightly together. His icy eyes narrowed dangerously. "I am disappointed, Lee-kun."

"Lee, who is this?" Neji asked sharply. He stepped carefully back in front of Lee.

"This doesn't concern you. This is between me and my property and I intend to fix the problem I created." David's eyes narrowed even farther and he advanced slowly on them. Lee shakily stepped backwards.

Neji put his body between Master David and Lee intently. He took up a familiar stance. His eyes were mere slits as he calmly replied, "Don't try me."

"I could say the same thing. I repeat. This doesn't involve you. Step aside."

"No. Lee's my teammate. This _does _involve me."

"I will not say it again. Step aside or I will take you out."

Lee grabbed Neji's arm as Neji took a threatening step forward. "Neji-kun, no! You cannot take on Master David. Please! Just go get Gai-sensei!"

Neji jerked his arm from Lee's grasp. Threatened rage contorted his features and his voice was deathly steady as he said plainly, "We'll see."

David moved swiftly and effortlessly. His hand seized the front of Neji's shirt and jerked him forward as he slammed his fist into the Hyuuga's chest. Blood splashed to the ground. There was a sick set of snaps and shards of bone rained to the bloody grass.

Neji didn't have time to cry out. He stared ahead in absolute horror before his milky eyes slowly traced down David's arm and to his fist, which was buried to the wrist in his chest. He released his breath in a shuddering sigh, gasping softly.

"I warned you."

David twisted his hand violently and wrenched it back. Neji swayed on his feet before lifelessly falling forward.

Something like a cry came from Lee as his legs gave out, sending him backwards to the ground. His entire body quivered and tears welled up in his eyes, his breathing harsh and shallow as panic began to set in. His wide eyes flickered between a bloody David and Neji's lifeless body. His mouth wouldn't form words. His brain wouldn't process it.

David reached back and drew the sword on his back. Its straight blade gleamed viciously even in the darkness. "I am disappointed that it is going to be like this, Lee-kun, but some things must be done."

David stepped forward. Lee's brain tried to relay messages to his body, trying to tell it to move, to run, to escape. But, nothing would respond. He just sat there trembling as David placed the sword tip under his chin and tilted his head back. The tip of the sword pressed into his skin, drawing a dot of blood.

"You've proven that you can't be trusted. You serve no further purpose to me," David drew back the sword. His eyes were sharp, vicious and dull as he said calmly, "Good bye, Lee."

Lee's eyes grew wide as the tip of the blade came hurtling towards him. His brain threw every muscle into overdrive, forcing his body to jerk out of harms way. The edge of the sword clipped Lee's shoulder. All logical thought was abandoned in favor of feral instinct. Lee twisted to his feet and took off into the darkening forest.

He heard David directly on his heels and gaining. Stealth wasn't a priority anymore. He knew he could run down a sealed slave. Lee took a glance back and his eyes widened considerably as he saw the point of the sword rushing towards his face. He ducked, throwing himself off balance as the sword hissed over his head. Lee tumbled to the ground and white-hot pain surged through his thigh.

David abruptly vanished in front of his tearing eyes.

Lee stared at the spot where his former master had just stood. He glanced down at his leg. Blood was gushing from his pant leg. Lee reached in his pocket and immediately felt the handle of the knife he had taken from Naruto the night before. He had forgotten he had it. He reached up with his other hand and touched his chin softly. He looked at his fingers. There was no blood.

_Genjutsu… it was just genjutsu._

Lee fell backwards. He stared up at the dark sky, aware that he was bleeding profusely, but unable to comprehend what had just occurred. He was under attack and his assailants were attacking him where he could not protect himself, where he had _never _been able to protect himself. He had walked directly into the genjutsu and never even noticed. He hadn't seen the jutsu's owner, hadn't heard, hadn't sensed them. They could do whatever they wanted to him and he would never know.

He sat up sharply, his brain suddenly firing up. He had to get back to camp. He had to find Naruto and Kiba and get them back on the road. They couldn't afford stops anymore. David was hunting them down and his hunters had caught up to them. They were now under serious attack and their only hope was to make it to Konoha, where allies meant safety. He scrambled up and looked around. His eyes grew wider and his mouth went dry.

In his panic, he had turned himself around so many times he had lost all mental knowledge of where camp, and his friends, was.

He swore in a way that would have made his sensei's heart stop. He sat down hard and pressed his palm against his injury. Blood pulsed under his hand. He glared hard at the ground.

_This was my fault,_ Lee snapped viciously at himself. _Again! If I were anything like a leader, I would have known better then to split up like that. I am so stupid! This is basics. I learned this in the Academy! I should have __**known**__. I should have made Kiba-kun stay at camp! Then at least I would know they are together. There is no telling if they have been attacked or injured or…_

Lee's stomach turned over and he pressed down harder on his injury. He closed his eyes and clenched his teeth. He had screwed his entire team. He had no doubts that if their pursuers had not attacked the two already, they were tracking them down and planning unfathomably cruel genjutsu for them. If he had just pulled his authority a little and made Kiba stay with Naruto, then maybe he could have raised their survival rate from the all time low it was at.

Tears welled up behind his eyelids. He clenched his teeth harder and dug his nails into his thigh. His heart beat in his ears as he held his breath rather then cry again.

_That is my response to everything!_ Lee thought angrily._ This is why I am so weak. This is what held me back so much. This is why I never lead anyone! My stupid emotions! I am so __**useless!**_

Lee slammed a fist into the ground. _I always screw things up! Always! I could deal with the idea that I have messed things up for myself, but I dragged Naruto-kun and Kiba-kun down with me. They trusted me to get them home safely and look at what I did to them! I got us all separated and now we are going to be picked off one by one, killed or driven to insanity by genjutsu! I am a __**failure!**_

Tears spilled down Lee's cheeks and his fingers relaxed against the ground. His jaw slowly loosened up and his body just deflated as sobs broke through his will power.

_What have I done?_


	20. Betrayal

Neji was getting concerned.

He had managed to keep his team on the move for a good half the night, but they had not seen a trace of their targets. That in itself was bad. However, after a brief discussion with Shikamaru, he had confirmed that the missing ninjas could not have been this far behind the genin team who reported them unless something had seriously delayed them.

He could only assume the worst and it had kept him up all night.

Neji deactivated his Byakugan and reached up with one hand to rub his eyes. He had been at this for hours, searching the forest to the extent of his Byakugan every five minutes. So many activations was aggravating the veins around his eyes and giving him a splitting headache. But, he did not know what else to do with himself.

He turned his tired eyes towards his ragtag team. They all looked serene in the breaking light of a new day. Sakura was lying across the grass, one hand tucked under her pink hair and the other lay beside her face, her fingers slightly bent against the yellow fabric of her bag. Shikamaru was leaning up against a tree, still posed as if in thought, but quite obviously asleep. Gai was sleeping upright as well, but a night of restless tossing and turning was obvious on his already exhausted features. Hinata was curled up in a ball next to him, trying to take up as little room as possible even in sleep. Neji noticed she had chosen the side of his sensei farthest from him.

Neji sighed and turned his eyes to his female teammate. She was lying on the ground next to him, her head resting softly on his thigh. When they had stopped and she had taken up her position, she had claimed it was purely to make sure Neji did not do something stupid while she was asleep. When he had told her that Gai was more likely to run off without her, she had slapped him upside the head and gone to sleep anyway.

It was not that he did not want her company. He did and she knew it. But, he still had that wish that perhaps Tenten would embrace the fact that, as a girl, she could get away with crying and admitting her feelings. But, he knew better.

"Neji, quit scratching my head."

Neji moved his hand away from Tenten's bun. It was an old habit.

"Did you sleep?"

"No."

"You know better."

"I know."

He felt her shift a little and one brown eye looked reproachfully up at him. "You're going to be exhausted."

"I know."

"You worried?"

Neji's white eyes stared at her for a moment before drifting off into the woods again.

"I'm sure he's fine, Neji. Lee's tough. It takes a lot to stop him."

"That's why I'm worried."

Tenten sighed and turned over onto her back. "He probably just got lost. His sense of direction has never been that good. It took him a year to remember how to get to the Academy, remember?"

"Yes, but Kiba is with him. Inuzukas are as good as compasses when it comes to getting home."

"Well, Kiba's a dork."

Neji scoffed softly.

There was a brief pocket of silence between them.

"Tenten?"

"Huh?"

"What if I'm wrong?"

"Wrong?"

"What if that genin team really was just hallucinating? Or making the story up?"

"Then, I guess we get to Kurobuki, realize that and go home hoping we aren't in the Bingo book."

"That sounds easy enough," Neji murmured quietly, his pale eyes shifting uneasily to his sensei. The rays of sunlight were just hitting his face and he was twitching slowly to life.

"You're worried about Gai-sensei."

"I can't help it."

Tenten tilted her head back to look at the waking man. She frowned and sat up. "Me, too."

"Tenten-"

"Neji, don't-"

"If I'm wrong, it'll kill him."

Tenten's brave face fell for a minute and for a brief second showed how she was. She knew this would be the last mission for her sensei if they didn't find Lee. But, her face was back up in a second. She reached up, grabbed a small section of Neji's hair and yanked him down to a private level.

"Stop being such a drama queen, Neji!" she whispered tersely, practically hissing rather then be heard by the waking camp. "If this mission turns out to be a failure, we'll cross that bridge if we get to it. Now, put your big girl pants on and suck it up. Got it?"

"Yes."

"Good," Tenten let go. She stretched a little and felt at her hair. "Dang it, Neji, you messed up my buns."

"Oh, the _shame."_

_**"YOSH!"**_

The sudden explosion of sound was followed by a high-pitched squeal, which combined jerked the entire camp out of slumber.

Gai's classic wake up call.

Looking over his shoulder, Neji saw his sensei on his feet, stretching in a way that made him seem twice as big. By his leg, Hinata's eyes were huge and her hands were up at her chest as she trembled violently. A piece of hair was sticking straight up on her head.

"Troublesome…" The sleepy Shikamaru's complaining was barely audible. He reached up and scratched his cheek, yawning widely. He looked around blankly before shutting his eyes again, only to have them forcibly reopened with a bag to his chest.

Sakura picked up her bag from Shikamaru's lap with a sarcastic smile. "Sorry. It slipped."

Shikamaru looked for a moment as if he was going to glare at her, but he decided at the last minute it wasn't worth the effort. He sighed and reluctantly stood up, scratching his neck and looking around with glazed eyes.

Gai marched himself to the middle of their campsite and, without prompting, everyone gathered around him.

"It's time to get back on the road," he announced firmly. "But, first we need a plan.

"We are all aware that we are at the point where the missing ninja are going to be very close, so it is time that we split up and fan out. The plan is to have three teams. One in the middle and one to each side. Tenten. I want you to go with Sakura in a straight path towards Kurobuki. Neji. You and Shikamaru will take a path around fifty yards to the west. Hinata and I will head to the east. We will meet back up five miles from here."

The teams paired up silently. Neji wasn't particularly thrilled with his choice in teammates, but he knew that Shikamaru, albeit lazy to a fault, was a challenge at shogi.

"Yosh!" Gai gave them a quick thumbs up and a reassuring grin. He nudged Hinata a little with his elbow and, shakily, her thumb went up too. "Keep your eyes open. Let's go!"

Neji darted immediately to his left. In a feat only to be described as amazing, Shikamaru managed to keep up, murmuring lazy complaints as he ran. Neji rolled his eyes a little and activated his Byakugan. Pain throbbed in his head again and he wished for a moment that he had gotten more sleep.

It wasn't until a mile up their given path that Neji's eyes caught something unusual. He stopped abruptly and turned his Byakugan to the ground. He frowned hard at it. "Shikamaru, look at this."

The chuunin paced forward and crouched down at the spot Neji's pale eyes were focused on. He tilted his head a few times before he reached out and overturned a few leaves. Underneath, the grass was torn and bruised.

"Someone was here."

Neji didn't know whether to be elated or frightened. If these footprints were left by a shinobi, said shinobi had to be running fast and haphazardly.

"It looks like someone came behind them and covered their tracks, too," Shikamaru noted needlessly. "Covered them _well_. Without your Byakugan, we would have run right past these. Whoever was after this person didn't want anyone to know about it. It sounds enough like a kidnapper chasing down an escaped prisoner."

Neji nodded. Without further discussion, the two veered off-course, following the skillfully hidden prints across the forest floor. It didn't take long for Neji to begin to seriously worry. Their path had become twisting and on more then one occasion doubled back on itself, as if the pursued had lost all sense of direction and was just running.

It only took about a third of a mile to find out why.

Neji's legs locked on their own, nearly sending him to the ground. The breath caught in his throat and for a moment, he felt as if he were going to be sick.

Shikamaru was not far behind him. He stopped hard, too. His dark eyes grew wide as dinner plates and all that escaped his lips was an astonished, "Damn…"

Neji knelt slowly and gently placed his fingers on a blade of grass. He wiped off the sticky coating and felt it between his fingers. It was thick and dried almost instantly as it rubbed off against his skin. "He's long gone. With the humidity out here, this blood could be from early last night."

"Neji, if you get injured by an enemy, do you fight with them?"

"Typically."

"This blood all in one place," Shikamaru pointed out, gesturing to the bloody ground. "It should be everywhere or at least a trail leading to or away from it. It looks like he injured himself right here and just sat there until the bleeding stopped."

"Maybe he was unconscious."

"I doubt that. If he were unconscious, his pursuer would have either killed him or taken him. He wouldn't have waited for him to bleed like this unless they were waiting for him to die."

"So our target is still alive."

"And likely moving very slowly."

Neji turned his Byakugan back towards the ground. The footprints led off into the forest in a line parallel to Konoha. If it was one of the missing ninja, they had no idea where they were going. That ruled out Kiba. His mouth was dry as he swallowed nervously and silently prayed it was Naruto.

"Neji?"

Neji snapped back to reality with a shake of his head. He didn't say anything to Shikamaru as he continued after the footprints, noticeably faster then before. The footprints were closer together and the left foot all but disappeared, suggesting the injury was on the left leg and the injured was favoring it in a heavy limp. Though the idea was horrific, Neji's inner shinobi couldn't help but be grateful that his target wouldn't be able to cover much ground with such an injury.

When Neji stopped again, it was only to lean down and swipe his fingers over the grass once more. He rubbed the blood between his fingers. "It's fresh."

"So he's close."

Neji's fingers curled into a fist and he turned his Byakugan to the forest. Immediately, his trained eyes found their target. His heart stopped momentarily.

Leaning heavily against the trunk of a tree with a bloody hand against his thigh, was Rock Lee.

Neji's heart came back to life with a flutter that made him dizzy. Lee looked so… different. His body, his hair. Neji didn't know what exactly he expected to see after a year, but he knew it hadn't been anything like this.

"Neji? Oi, Neji! What is it?"

"It's Lee," Neji's voice was soft and breathless. He couldn't help it. He hurtled forward with little concern if Shikamaru kept up or not.

_Be alright, be alright, be alright…_

Neji skidded to a halt. Lee didn't look up. Neji's stomach dropped and he straightened up slowly. "Lee?"

No answer.

_Come on… please…__**please!**_

"Lee."

Still no answer.

_God no. No, no, __**no!**_

Neji ran up to the motionless boy. "Lee, get u-"

_**CRACK!**_

Neji staggered backward under the weight of pain and downright horror. He swayed uneasily and reached up to touch his face.

Lee had _struck him._

He turned his wide eyes to his lover. "What the hell!"

Lee looked up at him with a bitterness that Neji was unfamiliar with. He struggled to his feet, favoring his injured leg. He narrowed his eyes. "Do not touch me."

Neji stared at him disbelievingly. "What? Lee, it's me!"

"I am sure."

Neji took a step back. "Lee, don't look at me like that."

"I am not stupid. I will not fall for this twice," Lee's hand went to his belt.

Neji took another step back as Lee drew a crimson-stained knife. "Don't you draw weapons on me, Lee."

Neji quickly took four more steps back as Lee began advancing on him. "Lee, what's your problem? I'm your _teammate!_"

"Yes. Just like last time."

"Last t- _**Lee!"**_

Neji was forced to stagger backwards as his arms blocked quick strikes to his head and chest. He gritted his teeth as the knife drew blood in thin lines up and down his forearms. He aimed a kick at Lee's legs. Lee dodged back, leaving Neji enough time to put a good three feet between them.

"I am not your enemy!"

_"Stop sounding like him!" _Lee roared, rushing forward.

Neji raised his arms to defend himself again, only to have Lee freeze up a foot away from him. A look of horror crossed his face and his eyes, the only free part of him, glanced down at the shadow binding his legs.

"So much for team loyalty," murmured Shikamaru tiredly.

Lee's eyes grew wide, only to narrow savagely. His body jerked, breaking free for a split second. Shikamaru winced and his hand seal tensed up as he compensated for Lee's sudden struggle. His eyes flicked over to Neji. "Talk some sense into your teammate or something before he decides to really struggle."

"Lee, you're being stupid," Neji snapped, stepping forward purposefully.

"I was stupid before," Lee replied. His voice was strained with the effort of resisting his bindings. "But, not _this time."_

Neji frowned. Lee should have been ripping apart Shikamaru's shadow bind like rice paper. He pulled his arm back and struck Lee sharply on the forehead. Lee's body jerked. His eyes went back into his head and fell shut as the shadow bind was released, leaving him to fall forward into his teammate's waiting arms. Neji's knees bent under his weight and he groaned as he eased Lee to the ground.

_Damn, you gained weight,_ Neji complained, rubbing roughly pulled muscles. He looked over his unconscious teammate. From just what he could see, dried blood made the torn fabric of his pants stick to the edges of a nasty stab wound and stiff around a tended injury. His shirt was torn at both shoulders and, upon lifting it, Neji found a wound bleeding through a dressing obviously applied a day or two ago.

He clicked his tongue angrily. _Who did this to you?_

"Neji, we need to head towards the meeting spot," Shikamaru suggested. The laziness had left his voice and now he was dead serious. "There's no doubt that if Lee is here, Naruto and Kiba are close by, if they haven't already been found by either of the other teams. Regardless, he needs treatment before those injuries get infected and do serious damage."

Neji sighed hard. He was reaching for Lee's shoulders when he heard the leaves rustle to his side and the sharp sound of metal on metal. He whirled around, only to feel something bite hard into his arms. He cried out sharply. Through watering eyes, he saw thin lines of blood over the thin ropes cutting into his arms. He cursed and looked up to find Shikamaru. He cursed again as he saw Shikamaru laid out on the grass, face twisted in pain.

"I suppose I owe you a 'thank you' for saving me a lot of trouble."

Neji's eyes widened farther then he had ever opened them. A chill ran down his spine. His head snapped up and the breath caught in his throat.

The black ninja's white eyes narrowed in a nasty smirk as it effortlessly leapt from a branch and landed next to him. "Quick, clean, precise. Very nice."

Neji snarled. "You!"

The black ninja pulled a coil of rope from the folds of its suit and grabbed Lee.

"Put him down, you son of a-" Neji clenched his teeth and quickly pulled his arms back towards him. Blood dripped down his arms. _Damn it!_

"You like it? Our client designed those ropes specifically for us. They're practical," The black ninja tossed the bound Lee back down and turned to Neji. Its eyes narrowed a little. It reached out and seized a handful of Neji's hair. It forcefully pulled his head back and twisted, examining him with its eyes. "Young, cute… ch! He'd be mad not to buy _you._ This one's looking at death row anyway."

"What about this one?"

The black ninja looked up. Through his peripheral vision, Neji could see _another_ black ninja, completely identical to the first.It had Shikamaru by the vest.

"Bring him. David'll probably be looking to replace all three after what they did to his bar," The black ninja fished a dark cloth from the folds of its suit. It tightly wound its fingers in Neji's hair and pressed the cloth against his face. Between the ropes and the grip the black ninja had on him, Neji had no way to struggle. His mind raced through what kinds of drugs could be held in a cloth and inhaled and how long each of them lasted as airless seconds ticked by.

"Wait just a moment, gentlemen."

A sudden aura of chakra came into the edges of Neji's senses, making his skin crawl and his stomach turn. He had only felt that kind of sickeningly intense chakra in the Hokage and a select few of the Hyuuga, those that had such powerful chakra it leaked from their pores as they walked. For any shinobi as finely tuned to chakra as Neji, the presence was almost painful.

The black clad shinobi pulled the cloth away from his face. "It's about time."

"So sorry, but I got caught up on another trail. But, I see you have had much more luck then I have."

The voice was so familiar, but Neji knew he had never heard it before. He detected the slightest of accents in the rich male voice. He flicked his eyes up to sight the man.

For a brief moment, Neji thought he was looking at an ANBU, until he saw no tattoo on the man's bare arms and the only armor was the guards on his arms. Everything else was black, including the sheath of the sword on his back, making his tan skin brighter against it. Above the mask covering half his face, Neji could see lines of age creasing the man's skin.

_What is he? A tracker nin from another village?_ Neji thought, looking for a forehead protector with the appropriate village symbol. But, there was none. He narrowed his eyes as the man knelt by Shikamaru and examined him as if looking for desirable traits in a show dog. _Where are you __**from?**_

Neji narrowed his eyes as the man stood up, turned directly towards him and stepped forward. The man nonchalantly waved one hand and the black-clad ninja untangled its fingers from Neji's long hair. Neji shook his head a little before turning fierce white eyes to meet disturbingly icy blue.

The man tilted his head to the side a little. "Hyuuga… interesting. Let's see…"

Neji twisted in his grip as his gloved hand reached up and pulled the forehead protector up to expose the curse seal branded onto his forehead.

"Branch member. Odd. Usually the fairer faces lie in the main branch," The man let the headband fall down around Neji's neck and cupped his chin in one hand, turning his head a few times. "Times change."

Neji narrowed his eyes and clenched his teeth. The ropes closest to his skin frayed slightly as fury made his chakra harder to control. Quick realization sparked in his head. He jerked his head back out of the man's grip and glared at him with all the hatred he could muster up.

"What is it with Konoha shinobi and their tempers?" The man sighed and lightly smoothed down Neji's hair with one hand. The almost affectionate gesture made Neji's stomach lurch and he cringed away from it.

"So y'want 'em or not?" asked one of the black ninja impatiently. "We still have men out searchin' for those other two."

The man stood up and said, "I think they'll make good additions. I must say I do not have as many males with a dark complexion and, with such a fair face, this one is looking to be a desirable buy. In addition, they are both young enough to replace the escaped slaves. After the fiasco they caused, I believe new additions will be welcomed by my clients."

The black ninja scoffed. "You aren't as picky as your father was."

"But, I make better choices for it."

"Some could argue differently after your last decisions. Speaking of which, what're we going to with this one?" The black ninja nudged an unconscious Lee with its foot. "You can't keep him."

"That I can't." The man sighed.

The ropes snapped and Neji hurtled forward on half-awake legs. He drew huge amounts of chakra to his hands and aimed for the man's chakra points.

What happened next seemed to occur in slow motion.

The man turned around and one hand went under Neji's oncoming hand, forcing it up and away from him. The other grabbed Neji's other hand as it came to strike his heart and turned him sideways, throwing him off balance and flipping him effortlessly onto his back, stunning him for a precious few seconds.

_"Neji!_"

Neji heard Shikamaru and the snapping of rope, but the shock of impact was still racing through Neji's body. His pale eyes were locked firmly onto the rapid hand seals being made by his attacker, whose masked face was as expressionless as ever. Chakra flared dangerously in his hands.

The man drew back his open hand and slammed it into Neji's chest, fracturing at least two ribs. But, the chakra had been focused to the other hand, which flickered briefly in Neji's peripheral vision before tapping so lightly against his temple Neji had a hard time remembering if it had occurred at all. But, he didn't know how else to explain the sudden darkness that fell over his eyes or the quick drop he took into oblivion.

….

….

…..

"Neji?"

_Huh?_

Neji's eyes slid open, blinking against the sunlight raining down from around a silhouette above him. He reached up with a stiff arm and rubbed his eyes. "Nn… what? Ugh, my hea- _Damn!"_

Neji sat up so fast he nearly collided with a bowl-cut and a set of thick eyebrows. As he moved to jump to his feet, the breath he took sent waves of agony through his bones. He fell forward to his hands and knees, one arm snapping up to grab the spot where his ribs were cracked. Pain labored his breathing, making the injury even worse.

"Neji, calm down! It is just us!"

Neji looked up the best he could and saw Gai staring back at him, fiery eyes laden with worry. Behind him, Hinata was standing quietly off to the side, trying not to draw attention to herself while obviously distressing over him and Shikamaru, who was sitting up relatively unscathed. He had a bleeding lip and a long cut through his chuunin vest, but there was no blood and he appeared to be in no major pain.

Neji shook his head hard and tried to get up again. Gai put a hand on his shoulder. "Neji, you've fractured a few ribs. You need to relax."

"Where's Lee?"

Gai's eyes grew wide. "Lee?! You found him?!"

"And lost him," replied Shikamaru tiredly. "I was knocked out soon after Neji was. The best I can offer is that he's probably been executed by now."

_"Executed?!"_ Gai's reached an octave Neji had never heard before. "What do you mean executed?!"

"His pursuers caught up to him shortly after we did. They let us take care of disabling him before taking us down, too."

"Disable?" Gai's voice was taking a desperate shrillness as he looked between the two boys for answers. "What happened?"

"He attacked us, thinking we were just genjutsu," Neji eased back into a sitting position and tried to breathe easier. "We have a serious problem, Gai-sensei. We are up against the same ninja that attacked me and my team the first time we went after Lee."  
"The same ninja?"  
"And their boss," added Shikamaru. "He's looking to take out all three of the escaped ninja. Me 'n Neji almost ended up being their replacements."  
Gai's face had taken to an unhealthy white and suddenly his eyes wouldn't stay still. "Almost?"  
"I guess he didn't want the liability after seeing how fast we were to attack him. Not to say it wasn't disproportionably easy in comparison to the occasion."  
"I know," Neji agreed, suspiciously turning his eyes to the forest. "He knocked us out with a high-level medical jutsu derived from an old Gentle Fist technique, not so unlike the one I used on Lee. Without the Byakugan, he would have needed to know precisely where he needed to strike to get the affect he desired. Someone with that kind of knowledge of the human brain and that much control of their chakra could have killed us with a tap of his fingers."  
"But, he didn't and, by the looks of it, didn't opt for killing Lee either. Maybe this guy is capable of holding a kid hostage, but not killing one."  
Gai clenched his teeth as his eyes shifted restlessly. "If he's not here, then where is he?"  
"Dunno that either. I doubt we'll find out. They went to the trouble of hiding Lee's trail, so why wouldn't they hide their own?"  
"Um… um, I… I-I f-found somet-t-thing."

All eyes went to Hinata Hyuuga, who looked immediately as if she regretted breaking her silence.  
"What is it, Hinata?" Gai's voice was strained, as if it took every fiber in his being to keep from grabbing and shaking the answer from her.  
"B-blood. Just a few drops. O-over there," A shaking finger went up to point at the trees behind her.  
"Lee was bleeding."  
Shikamaru frowned. "Sounds like a trap."  
"But, it's the best we've got," Gai stood up and helped pull Neji to his feet. "There is still the chance that Lee is alive."  
"B-but what about S-sakura? A-a-and T-tenten? They are s-still waiting for us."  
Gai cursed mildly. "Right. I forgot about them… Hinata, go and tell them to keep going."  
Hinata's face went white at the idea of going by herself. She looked as if she was dying to protest, but her fingers just twiddled frantically and she nodded stiffly.  
Shikamaru stood up in her defense. "With those black ninja prowling around, it isn't a good idea to send anyone off by themselves, particularly young, attractive girls."  
Hinata turned a bright shade of red and her fingers twiddled even faster.  
"I'll go with her. Besides," Shikamaru yawned and stretched, scratching the back of his head. "Between you and me, I wouldn't be much help anyway."  
"Fine. We will meet you five miles after our previous destination point, regardless of if all goes well or n…" Gai could not manage the last part. He cleared his throat meaningfully and turned to his white-eyed student. "Neji."  
"I can manage."  
"Excellent. Let's go."  
Neji activated his Byakugan and located the drops of blood Hinata had found and the trail behind them. Clenching his teeth against the pain in his ribs, he and Gai darted into the trees.


	21. Raging Waters

Somewhere, somewhere far up in heaven, the gods were all gathered up with refreshments and they were laughing.

Pointing.

And laughing.

At him.

Rock Lee was pretty sure of that now.

He knew perfectly well how he had come to be here, drowsy, bound hand and foot, awaiting the inevitable. In another fit of what he could now only describe as stupidity, he had played his opponent's game again and lost terribly. He had _known_ that was an illusion. He knew he should have run the moment his lover's image emerged from the trees as it had before. But, he had been so _angry_…

He had fallen hard. The fight had lasted a mere minute. Attacking the image of his lover, when the boy he loved was asking him to stop, had made it difficult to aim to kill, but Lee had soon found out that it did not apply to the genjutsu's owner. He had materialized another shinobi from Lee's past and, once he was immobilized, turned Neji on him.

He could see the two black ninjas that had intercepted him, one of which he could almost say he recognized from his first encounter. They were discussing something a few feet away from him with a man in close-fitting black clothing. He could tell by their gestures and the fact they kept exchanging suspicious glances that they weren't quite buying what they were being told. But, the man was working them effortlessly, talking nonchalantly with his hands, never seeming too eager, too subdued, too sly.

Lee only knew one man with sandy blonde hair that could speak so easily to such frightening customers. It made his stomach do a rapid set of back flips and suddenly he wished he could jump in the swiftly moving river behind him. But, he couldn't and they knew it. He wasn't going anywhere.

Finally the black ninjas shook their heads and waved the deal shut. One pointed a semi-threatening finger at the man before they darted away, melting into the forest and leaving the man alone with his captive.

The man turned around and Lee's gaze immediately went to those icy blue eyes that had captivated him to no end. The man reached up and pulled down his mask. There was no childishly denying it now.

"We meet again, love."

Lee physically winced. Though no audible bite in his voice, something about Master David made Lee uneasy. Something about the way he unhurriedly walked forward and bent to one knee in front of him, meeting his eyes with a masked face that seemed unnaturally void of emotion. Something about the way he reached up and lightly touched Lee's cheek with hands still calloused from hard work. Something about the way that emotionless face just stared at him with blue eyes that seemed to pierce his sanity.

Then, Master David sighed softly and his thumb lightly ran over Lee's skin.

"You are something, love. I have never had a slave escape on my watch, right from under my nose. I am impressed."

The anxiety settling in Lee's stomach grew. Having his former captor complimenting him was not only unusual, but it was ominous. He swallowed nervously.

"I know you're worried, love. You should be. I could never take you back to slavery and you have well proven that my house cannot hold you. You are a liability. Letting you go would mean certain destruction for me and my business."

Master David tilted his head a little. "People are questioning me because of you, Lee-kun, questioning my ability to make decisions that need to be made in regards to my property. All of them agree that I am a swell businessman and have done wonders to the business, but I lack the necessary ability to judge and be rid of slaves that no longer possess value."

Master David frowned. "And really, I wonder if it's true. True, your little outburst before would have landed you a one-way ticket to my father's office, but I had done my research and I knew you were still a perfectly good slave. I figured you'd behave so long as you never came into contact with alcohol again. For a long time, I never questioned my decision to bring you home with me. You were sweet, helpful and unbearably polite. Mariam adored you, Sophie thought you were God. You adapted to an odd life just fine and seemed to be fitting in. I thought I had made a very good decision.

"Even after your first escape attempt, I tried to believe that you returned from your own free will, not because logic sent you back. I knew in my mind that I should have executed you that night and have been done with it. But, I didn't and I left myself wide open for what you did to me. Drugs, theft, vandalizing, assault, murder, arson-"

_"Murder!"_ Lee couldn't help the small outburst. "I did not kill anyone! Everyone was alive when I left."

"They may have been when you left, but I assure you that at least one of my guards died from his injuries," Master David shook his head softly. "I never believed you were capable of the things you did, love."

"I did not want to do any of it."

"But, you did. I am not sure what I expected, though. Sweet as you maybe, you're still a ninja and I should have known better then to assume you would simply remain in captivity. You escaped death three times, Lee-kun, because of me. I risked everything I worked for in hopes that I could inspire some sort of loyalty in you. But, I suppose your loyalty will _always_ lie with your village."

Master David stopped stroking Lee's cheek.

"Three times, Lee-kun."

"Master David-"

"I have tried to work this out, but it is obvious that making you into a slave was never a good idea. You made a fool out of me for the last time, Lee-kun."

Master David leaned in and pressed a soft kiss against Lee's lips, the kind that made his legs weak. It was brief, but it seemed to last forever. Then, Master David reached up and pulled his mask back up. He got to his feet and stared down at his former slaves with icy eyes that, for a brief moment, looked hurt.

"I will not make this mistake a third time, love."

Master David placed one boot on Lee's chest and kicked hard.

_**"NO!"**_

-----

Gai's voice rang through the trees like the scream of a wounded beast. He exploded from the trees and ran parallel to the river after his prized student. Neji hurtled after him, turning his head to look at the man who had just thrown a bound teenager into a raging river. The same man that had broken his ribs and had planned on selling him to the highest bidder. The man that had caused this entire disaster.

The man met his eyes for a single second, before turning around and disappearing into the trees. Then, he was gone.

Neji's furious want to go after him was only quelled by the fact Lee had not come back up. He turned his Byakugan to the river as the trees receded from the river, leaving the shore bare rock. He searched the raging waters for his bound teammate. He spotted him under the water, though the water blurred his vision too much for him to tell if Lee was conscious. He swore viciously. He grabbed his backpack and fished out a coil of rope. He looped the rope around his waist and tied it skillfully. "Gai-sensei!"

Gai instinctively caught the rope tossed to him, but his eyes widened to the size of dinner plates upon realizing Neji's intentions.

"Neji, wait-!"

The raging water exploded in Neji's ears, drowning out the rest of Gai-sensei's cry. He was immediately dragged down to the bottom of the river and swept forward. He struggled to right himself in the current. His Byakugan became almost useless in the violent waters, only allowing him the sight of basic shapes. He searched desperately ahead of him. He could feel the tugs and releases on the rope, where Gai-sensei was attempting to keep up and search for him at the same time.

Then, he saw Lee.

Lee had freed himself from the ropes around his ankles, but the ones around his wrists were proving difficult. Neji grabbed for him, catching the edge of his shirt. Lee's eyes snapped towards him and a small explosion of bubbles escaped his mouth. Neji fought for a better hold, grabbing the bindings around Lee's wrists. His other hand went back and grabbed the rope linking him to shore. He pulled hard and immediately the rope went taut.

He broke the surface with a gasp and immediately struggled to get on top of the raging waters. The task proved near impossible between the chopping water and keeping both himself and Lee above water. The roaring in his ears still had not stopped. Even with his Byakugan, his vision was blurry, but he could see Gai-sensei braced against the ground and his muscles bulging beneath his spandex suit as he fought to pull his team to safety. He turned his eyes behind him and suddenly realized how bad his situation was.

They were heading towards the Valley of the End.

Neji fought harder to get himself on top of the river, sending every drop of chakra he had to his free hand. The muscles in his arm screamed in protest, but letting go wasn't an option. He _had_ to get out of the river or both he and Lee would take a long drop into oblivion. He pulled harder, kicking violently.

_Almost… just a bit m-_

**SNAP!**

The sound was sharp and clean, like that of a trap snapping shut. Suddenly the weight in Neji's hand was gone. Panic hit him in the stomach like a thousand bricks. His head snapped around and saw Lee disappear back under the water. His cry vanished as his he lost all concentration and a vicious roar overran everything else. Water rushed into his mouth. He suddenly couldn't draw breath. His world disappeared in a cloud of bubbles and silt.

_So that's it, then…_

…

….

…..

Then, Neji was lying on the ground, water cascading from his mouth as he coughed and tried to breathe. His body was tight, his head was throbbing and he was coughing up half the river. He could vaguely remember Gai pulling him to shore and fishing him out of the water by his shirt. He had drifted in and out of consciousness for what seemed like eternity, his heart throbbing against a tight chest as the world got darker every time he returned. He could remember feeling his sensei's lips against his, trying desperately to get him to breathe.

Forever later, the coughing stopped and Neji lay on the damp grass, unable to do anything else but draw the breaths he couldn't before.

Rough, calloused fingers touched his cool skin and brushed back damp strands of hair clinging to his face. The feel of hot, burned skin against the river chilled side of his face felt odd. It took him a moment to realize his sensei was talking to him.

"…alive. I thought you were a goner for a moment. You really had me going…"

Neji had never had Gai talk to him like that, with the kind of affection that he had always shown exclusively to Lee. His voice was shaking and so was the hand pressed against his forehead, showing the tremble in Gai's voice wasn't of relieved laughter, but of genuine fear and no doubt misery.

"I thought I had lost you, Neji."

A few drops landed on Neji's cheek, making him wince and blink for a moment. Gai wiped them away, the beginning of an unsaid something dying on his lips.

Neji knew he was trying not to remind him that he had let his own teammate fall to his death.

He tightened his hold around the ropes still clutched in his hand. He had been so close. Lee had believed it was him. They were so close to making it back to dry land. They were so close to being a team again. They were so close to returning to Konoha, to their lives, to normality. If he had only been a little faster, he could have gotten to him before that man kicked him in. If he had gotten there seconds earlier, he could have saved him.

But, it was really over now. Surviving a fall into the Valley of the End was a stretch as it was. Lee was injured and exhausted, a combination that was pushing the likelihood of survival on _land_ down. Even with his uncanny ability to pull through against the odds, Lee's luck had run out this time.

He sat up stiffly and looked down to the horizon, where the river abruptly ended and two huge statues jutted out of the stonework, eternal warriors caught in the midst of battle. Where the First Hokage had defeated Madara and literally divided the Land of Fire from the Land of Sound. It was surreal thinking that such victorious place was now the sight of such a cruel loss.

It made the pain in his ribs insignificant and the cold from the river waters seem warm.

Gai wrapped an arm around Neji and drew him up against his chest. His hand rested softly on his head and he murmured into Neji's damp hair, "You did everything you could. You risked your life for his and that is beyond admirable."

Neji turned his eyes upward, but Gai wasn't looking at him. His eyes were closed and light trails of tears were rippling over the lines on his face. He blinked softly as one landed on his cheek. He turned his eyes back to the river, whose rushing waters continued on their way no longer hindered by the ninjas fighting for their lives.

Perhaps this is what had to be, what he had to see. Perhaps now he knew Lee wasn't coming back, that there would be no more late night visits or quick kisses between sparring matches. No more days spent doing nothing or nights spent without a word. No more disgustingly romantic notes pushed under his door or taped to his window, no more out-of-tune songs sung outside his window in the dead of the night. No more of all the things he had hated and adored about loving Lee.

Perhaps now he would feel what he was supposed to.

But even as Gai's embrace became tighter and his body shook from the grief, Neji felt nothing. His body ached, his lungs burned, his ribs were alight with agony. But, he didn't feel what he could sense in his sensei. He didn't feel that overwhelming sense of loss, the sensation of suddenly losing all purpose, of suddenly being alone in the world. All he felt was the same frustration and misery he had felt for the past year.

He cursed and turned his eyes away from the river, pressing them into his sensei's vest. If killing his best friend, killing his team, killing his sensei wasn't enough to make him cry, it would never happen.

-----

Rock Lee gasped hard and grabbed at a rock jutting out of the water's glass surface. His arms were weak and shaking as he dragged himself out of the freezing waters and collapsed limply across the jagged surface. His body felt as if he had been thrown down every flight of stairs in the Fire Country. His head spun wildly and his skin was numb from the frigid water. Through blurry eyes, he could see thick red blood dripping across the rock and into the stilling waters.

Even in his state, he knew he was lucky.

He could vividly remember the plunge into the Valley of the End. The sudden feeling of weightlessness, the speeding of the Earth past his eyes, the unadulterated fear that tore through him like lightning. Then the impact. It had been like slamming into a brick wall. He had narrowly avoided smashing his skull on one of the rocks hidden beneath the water, shredding the skin off the side of his temple. His consciousness had been almost ripped from his body, leaving him dazed under feet of red-tinted water.

He felt water in his lungs and he was dizzy from blood loss, but he was alive. The fact that he had survived the impact, missed the rocks surrounding the waterfall's entrance and then didn't drown was nothing short of a miracle.

Obviously, Lee's higher beings felt _really _sorry for him.

Lee tried to get up, but his arms were too weak. He tried to push his legs under him, to at least sit up, but he received nothing but pain for his efforts. He attempted to curse, but it came out weak and meaningless. His eyes traveled slowly away from the rock and across the surface of the water. He was not far from shore, only a few feet laid between him and land. He couldn't cross it. Not now.

He sighed hard and closed his eyes, feeling the sharp surface of the rock almost disappear under the weight of his exhaustion. As he drifted along the edges of his consciousness, he remembered in silence the face of his lover, grabbing for his shirt and pulling him from fate's hands. The struggle, the sudden snap, the scream of horror, it was all silent.

Illusion or reality, the memory was vivid and frightening.

For a long while, he just laid there, stretched out across the bloody rock as his mind drifted in and out of reality. Slowly but surely, feeling returned to his body and heat began pooling back into his limbs. Strength returned gradually over the course of an eternity, until he was capable of sitting up again. He gingerly felt across the edges of his newest injury. He could tell it wasn't pretty, but it wasn't bad. The bleeding had stopped.

He took a look over to the shore, carefully stretching exhausted and cramped muscles as he determined his returned strength. He didn't have a lot of it, but he needed to get to a more discrete location and at least rest before starting up his journey again. He was outside the Fire Country once again, now on the border between his home land and the Land of Sound. He knew he had to move quickly and get back into familiar territory.

He took a deep breath in and eased himself into the cold waters. Shivers ran up his spine and his body trembled as he was emerged chest-deep in the frigid water. His muscles stiffened, making the short distance to shore unbearably long and painful. A few minutes seemed like an hour as he dragged himself back out of the water. He had to force himself to get to his feet and walk. He had to get back to the Land of Fire. His body moved forward towards what he prayed was safety.

He was injured. He was staggering. He was exhausted. He was _alive._


	22. The Hunt

Neji's sigh seemed to echo in the silence, his pale eyes staring through the midday fire meant to warm his body and dry his damp clothes. His sensei had dropped off awhile ago, one hand pressed against his neck, the other holding him tightly around his shoulders. Neji hurt all over. His body was exhausted, sore and shivering from the day's ordeal. The cuts on his arms ached. Bruises were forming from sharp strikes and impact with underwater debris.

But, his body would heal with time. He was more concerned for the future. The future for him, the future for Gai-sensei, the future for Team Gai in general.

Tenten would not take the death of her teammate well. She would take it out on anyone that she could lay her hands on in a fit of helpless anger, but she would eventually overcome it and she would come back stronger then ever. Gai, however, was not going to make it. Neji gave him a week, at best. Grief had sunk its claws deep into the jounin. It was all a matter of waiting now.

Neji's eyes flicked up towards the inappropriately blue sky. He tried to find the anger inside him to hate such a nice day. But he found nothing. Not the hatred of a perfect day, not the agony of loss, not the grief for death.

He felt nothing.

Neji cursed halfheartedly and just laid his head against his sensei's vest. He could not understand himself. Hell had been brought down on him and he still felt absolutely nothing. He had _loved_ Lee. Why could he not mourn him? Why was he not breaking down? Why was life going on? Why did he not _feel?_

Lee was _dead._

Neji opened his eyes, blinking slowly as if he were awaiting his body's reaction to the thought. But, there was no fall like the one Gai had taken. None of the tears like the ones Tenten had hid. No sudden break down. No anything.

Neji's eyes narrowed sharply.

He eased himself from his sensei's arms, sliding off his lap and letting his hands touch the cold ground. Shivers racked his body as he pulled on his shoes and zipped them up. He glanced over to Gai.

He knelt there for the longest time, watching his sensei sleep. A year had done so much damage. Youth had all but abandoned him, leaving him an old, tired man with nothing in the world left for him. Neji knew he was useless. He could not fill that need Gai had, that need to be needed. Even in his state of despair, Neji would never need Gai like Lee had. No one could need Gai-sensei like Lee had.

For him, life was slowly drawing to a halt.

Neji moved swiftly. Even exhausted and sore, Neji's feet flew over the surface of the grass, which gave way to bare rock as the roaring of the river filled his ears. He turned sharply on his platform, running along side the river as he began to focus his remaining chakra into his feet. The ground went into a sudden, sheer drop. Even as his feet hit the solidity of rock, the sight of level ground rushing toward him made his stomach drop.

He pushed hard off the wall, turning his body so that his feet hit level ground with a small shock through his legs. He straightened up and activated his Byakugan. He walked to the edge of the glass pool and began painstakingly searching the bottom of the lake. He would find Lee's body and then he would have no _choice_ but to believe he was dead.

Seconds turned to minutes and minutes ticked by like hours as his pale eyes began narrowing and his teeth began grinding hard against each other. Fish swam past his eyes, darting in and out of crevices, swishing between rocks, rustling through plants, but there was _no body._

Neji deactivated his Byakugan with a furious toss of his head. This was impossible!

There was no way the body could have been taken by the current.

There was no chance of survival.

If evidence pointed that Lee's body would still be there, _why wasn't it?!_

He turned murderous eyes to the shoreline. If the body was no longer in the lake, someone or something had to have fished it out. His suspicions were confirmed when he spotted a damp trail leading into the forest. He narrowed his eyes viciously and sprinted across the lake. The trail was haphazard and obvious, the kind of pattern any shinobi would have assumed to be a trap.

But, Neji was planning something far worse then any trap.

-----

Rock Lee was forced to a stop when the pain finally overtook his willpower. He collapsed weakly and leaned back against a spindly tree. He sighed heavily, grinding his teeth against the fire in his body. He was shivering violently, lighting up his senses with agony. His eyes flickered around his location. He had managed to get far enough that the valley's lake was now a distant dot behind the tree line. He knew it wasn't far enough for real safety, but he couldn't go any farther. He had to rest and he had to rest now.

He let his head fall back against the tree and tried to steady his ragged breathing. But, the unreal cold in combination with fear and panic made it impossible. He groaned and hit the back of his head desperately against the tree trunk three times. Tears sprung to the corners of his eyes and he closed them tightly in frustration. His emotions were getting the better of him again.

"It is not fair!" he snapped into the silence. "Why is this happening? I just want to go home!"

Lee tilted his head back towards the sky. It was past noon, at least. The sky was bright blue and the clouds were fluffy and white. A small breeze danced between the trees. Lee glared half-heartedly at the sky. How was it possible for a day to be so wonderful when he was in the middle of a fight for his life?

It wasn't fair.

He sighed hard. He closed his eyes and his head fell back against the tree again. He supposed it was another way of fate saying 'go to hell'. He was certainly there.

Eternity passed before Lee fell to what resembled the edges of sleep. Still half-awake, he could watch his imagination run wild on the edges of his consciousness. Nightmares of capture dominated among images of former clients and the inevitable thoughts of his own demise. It all disturbed him.

He pulled himself out of it, reaching up with one hand and rubbing sore eyes. He still felt exhausted and every muscle in his body protested as he tried to get up. It was on the third try that he succeeded to stagger to his feet, only to be struck by sudden vertigo and forced back to his knees. He was too tired to think up any nasty things to say as he attempted to get up again, even as his head spun and his entire body seemed to whirl. It took four tries.

The dizziness returned, but Lee was ready for it. He leaned heavily against the spindly tree, fighting to stay on his legs rather then hit the ground again. The world spun in front of his eyes, lines smudging into a painful blur that began behind his eyes. He rubbed his eyes and blinked rapidly.

Eventually, the colors and lines redefined themselves and Lee was able to carefully balance himself back on his feet. Swaying dangerously, he began to stagger forward. His leg ached, causing him to limp and make the process of walking harder then it already was. Every step seemed to be a fight between him and gravity.

He tried to keep the images given to him by his own imagination in mind, those horrible scenes of what could happen if he was found to still be alive. He had never needed to use fear to keep himself going, but he had nothing else. He had lost any form of hope he had. The hope that he was going to bring Kiba and Naruto home, that Master David would let them go, that he would make it at all, that he would ever see his old team again, all of it. He had nothing but that fear of death.

He froze to a dead stop.

A series of fast footsteps was fast approaching him.

Lee's heart hit his throat. Panic slammed into him in a rush of body-numbing hormones. His brain suddenly started processing faster then he could understand it, causing him to freeze up as his breath quickened and his body suddenly became restless.

_Go! GO! _Lee screamed at his legs, which stood there quivering as if they didn't understand. The footsteps hissed forward through the treetops. _If I am caught, I am done for. Love of youth, __**move!**_

Shinobi instincts kicked in only when his pursuer was practically on top of him. He dashed off to their side. His left leg wouldn't support the weight, but his other came back almost immediately. Pain was unbearable, but his fear of capture outweighed any kind of agony. He ran as if that was the last thing he planned on doing in his life.

And, in a part of his mind, it was.

He could hear those footsteps behind him, losing subtleness to vicious resolve. He put every ounce of strength left into evasion. He twisted his path, turning the panic in his heart into a jumble of confusing twists and turns to try and lose his determined pursuer. But, whoever it was, he kept up and kept gaining until Lee could hear his breath tearing from his throat.

Suddenly, Lee felt something like a torpedo slam into his back, sending him and his attacker tumbling across the ground. His back hit the ground with stunning force and his assailant landed hard on top of him. Lee drew back and kicked him under his ribs, sending him crashing to the ground.

Lee flipped his body and had one foot on the ground when a sudden paralyzing jolt went through his good leg. His leg completely gave out and he fell back to the ground. He struggled to right himself, looking over his shoulder at his attacker.

Pale white eyes glared angrily at him. Neji Hyuuga was holding his rib cage and trying to catch the breath knocked from him.

"That fucking hurt."


	23. Always Rivals

Neji struggled to his feet, holding his throbbing ribs and watching Lee carefully. Taking Lee's kick to his fractured ribs brought back the pain of the original breakage and Neji's retaliation had been weak. Lee was already getting feeling back in his leg. He was eyeing Neji equally as warily, carefully testing weight on his leg.

"Lee…" he panted, wincing with pain. "Don't you dare attack me."

Lee stared at him, but his mouth closed slowly and he moved his body into a more defensive position.

Neji took a threatening step forward, snapping, "Goddamnit, you _know_ I'm real! Don't stare at me like th-!"

He hissed sharply with pain as Lee suddenly pounced on him and grabbed him around the chest in a tight hug, sending him staggering backwards. Lee buried his face in his neck and Neji felt tears against his skin. He grunted with pain as Lee squeezed him tightly. "Lee… my ribs-"

Lee pulled back just enough to alleviate the pressure on his ribs, just enough to meet Neji's eyes with his. Neji blinked and was suddenly lost, searching those bottomless eyes for something familiar, something he could remember. But, Lee's eyes were dim with pain and exhaustion. Any trace of his passionate fire had been put out already.

Neji jerked when Lee's hand suddenly touched his cheek, pressing his fingers softly against his skin and tucking his thumb against the corner of his mouth. One hand gently passed over his eyes and suddenly Neji's world was reduced to the soft touch of Lee's lips against his.

Neji's eyes fell closed and one hand slid behind Lee's neck, pulling him in closer. It had been so long, the feeling was almost new. His heart was beating wildly against his chest, the pain in his ribs melting down into the back of his consciousness, along with everything else. A full year had passed and he had lost Lee to captors, illusions and the elements before now. This was what he lived for. What made life worth the trouble. This was-

Neji's eyes snapped open to the sharp sound of metal on metal.

His hand snapped to his kunai holster. Lee's hand seized his wrist before he could reach it. Neji jerked his body backwards as a kunai whistled through the air. Drops of blood hit the grass and he grabbed the injury. He looked up to see Lee's fist collide with the side of his face. Stars exploded in front of his eyes and he was sent across the grass.

He shook the stars from his eyes, quickly looking up at Lee.

Lee had struggled to his feet, blood dripping off the kunai in his hand. He was staring at Neji almost blankly, panting softly.

"So… you want to kill me?" he panted softly, beckoning him forward. "Fine."

Neji pressed a hand to the bleeding wound on his stomach as he stood up, saying, "I don't want to kill you, Lee! I want to take you _home!_"

Lee scoffed and swerved forward. Neji pulled a quick set of blocks, taking Lee's punches on his arms and dodging the kunai in his hand. He leapt backwards, trying to put distance between them, but Lee would not be ignored. He kept Neji close and kept swift strikes coming, aiming for Neji's head and injuries.

Neji blocked them with growing panic, activating his Byakugan to keep up. Lee was weak and his movements were slow, but they were precise and he was aiming to kill. Neji knew his Gentle Fist was far superior to Lee's Strong Fist, but he also knew that edge was lost with his chakra. He had used far too much struggling out of the river. He was dangerously low on it. He didn't have enough to do any real damage.

He was going to have to use straight taijutsu.

Neji clenched his teeth and dodged backwards, desperate for distance to re-stance. He had a few seconds to take an unfamiliar stance and start throwing back punches.

His strikes were fast and accurate, hitting directly and forcing Lee out of his stance. Neji lashed out sharply to his chest, faking a Gentle Fist technique. For that, Lee bent limberly out of the way and sent a kick swinging towards Neji's head. Neji dodged and Lee twisted him around as he blocked Neji's punch. Lee lashed out viciously with a swift double kick to first his legs, then his chest.

The two separated for a moment, both breathing heavily but never stepping from their stances. Blood dripped down Neji's stomach, soaking into his shirt. He had managed to hit Lee, but none appeared to have done real damage.

Lee leapt towards him again, brandishing his kunai.

Neji darted to meet him, drawing one of his last knives to strike him down.

With a hard _smack! _the two strikes hit and both shinobi were suddenly caught in a battle of strength.

Neji slid his feet into a wide stance, using every muscle in his body to push Lee back. Lee's arms shook with effort as he pressed forward, grinding his teeth angrily and narrowing dark eyes.

"Why will you not just leave me _alone?_" he snarled. "You have done enough to me!"

"You're being stupid!" grunted Neji, pushing hard to try and lock his arms. "I'm no illusion!"

"As if I will take your word!"

"Believe me!"

_"Never!"_

Lee suddenly let his arms relax, sending Neji falling forward. He slammed his knee into Neji's ribs with a _snap! _and sank his kuani into the back of his shoulder. Neji lashed out and the tip of his knife sliced through the skin on Lee's chest. Blood splashed the ground and both ninja staggered away from each other, keeping both eyes on their opponent.

Neji felt along his chest. Lee had snapped his ribs where the fractures were and blood was dripping down his arm. Pain was completely numbing everything from his ribs to his left hand. He panted hard as he glared at Lee from across their battlefield.

_He had a clear shot to my back, _Neji thought, reaching back to staunch the blood flow. He frowned deeply. _He could have placed that strike anywhere._

"Why are you holding back?"

Lee's eyes flared dangerously. "I am not."

"Like hell you aren't. You could have killed me."

"I missed."

"Don't lie to me. Even you can't miss at that range."

"It happens," Lee began carefully circling Neji, eyeing his weak spots like a predator.

"Admit it!" Neji snapped, carefully sliding his feet to keep Lee in direct sight. "You couldn't kill me because you _know_ I'm not an illusion!"

"The only thing I know is that I am not going back and if that means dying here, so be it."

Neji was forced into silence, staring at his lover as if he were suddenly a stranger. He searched Lee with his Byakugan, trying to find the signs that it was a lie, that Lee cared, that he wanted to live.

"You can't be serious," Neji finally said quietly. "The Rock Lee I know would never just give up."

Lee scoffed hard. "As if you know me."

"I know you better then you know yourself!"

_"You do not have a __**clue!**_"

Neji ducked under another kick to his head and weaved to the side of two punches as they came hissing past his ears. He quickly sidestepped as Lee threw his entire body forward. He blocked two strikes to his stomach with his arms and stepped over a kick to his legs.

Then, unimaginable pain ripped through his chest as Lee plunged his kunai directly between two of Neji's ribs.

The kunai fell from his hand and he staggered backwards, grabbing the new injury and gasping with agony. Suddenly, he could barely breathe. He tried to swear, but his throat constricted and he coughed hard, blood bubbling at the corners of his mouth.

Lee was panting hard as well, his eyes dim and crazy. "You are realistic."

"Because… I'm real!" Neji gasped. "Believe me!"

"Never."

_"Then finish it!_" Neji choked on the vicious sentence and blood splashed across his hands. He gasped for air, looking up at the ninja in front of him. "If you… don't believe me… then _kill me!"_

Neji had just issued the final challenge. Lee glared at him from across the field. For a moment, nothing passed between them except the cold air. Time seemed to stand still, waiting to see which of the two shinobi would make the killing blow, which would end the rivalry for good.

Then, Lee set his jaw and came hurtling towards Neji.

Neji didn't move.

There was a resounding _SMACK! _and blood splattered across the grass.

Lee panted hard, his arm still extended in strike. The kunai slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.

Neji turned his head back towards him, blood dripping off his chin and a dark red mark rising on his cheek.

"You… know… Lee."

Neji watched as Lee's breathing suddenly got faster and his eyes narrowed viciously. He drew back swiftly and slammed his fist into Neji's cheek, sending him to the ground. His breath was ragged and shallow as he watched Neji get back up. "You are not real!"

"Then do it!" Neji snapped, putting his hand back against the slit on his chest. "If you… are so damn sure… then _do it!"_

Lee slapped him sharply, making him stagger. _"Shut up!"_

Neji turned viciously on him. _"Kill me!"_

_**"FIGHT BACK!"**_

Neji was suddenly under attack again as Lee slapped him repeatedly, his voice desperate and shrill as he screamed over and over:

"Fight back! _Fight back! __**FIGHT BACK!"**_

Neji tried hard to meet his eyes between strikes, even as pain began to blur his vision. Lee's dark eyes were manic with desperation, but Neji could see tears springing further into his eyes with every strike until they spilled down his cheeks. His strikes became weaker and weaker until his hand stopped completely and rested on the dark bruise on Neji's cheek. Tears dripped down his face as his head fell. He sobbed quietly.

"Lee?"

Lee looked up slowly. The fury that had twisted his features was gone, leaving behind nothing but the misery and hurt that had been there all along. Then, he murmured quietly, "Why are you toying with me? Why is it not enough to just _kill_ me?"

"I don't want to kill you."

Lee's heavy eyebrows furrowed in weak anger. "Stop it! Stop acting like him!"

Lee stepped backwards, his damp eyes staring hard at his teammate. "That just is not enough, is it? I have to suffer before you kill me! Well, no more!"

Lee reached down and picked up the kunai from his feet. He flipped it in his hand and raised it menacingly. "If you will not finish it, _I will!_"

_"Lee!_"

Neji rushed forward and grabbed for Lee's wrist as it dived towards his arm again. Lee whirled around and the knife caught Neji's shirt, tearing the fabric and the skin on his side. Lee kicked him hard in the chest, sending him backwards across the grass. Neji turned quickly to try and right himself, but he was already too late.

Blood was splattering across the ground as Lee stabbed and cut his own body. Deep slashes appeared on his wrists, on his thighs, on his stomach, pouring blood down his ripped clothing. He raised the knife to his throat, his eyes crazy and narrow, and snapped, _"Tell your master the job is __**done!"**_

_**"NO!"**_

__A thin sheet of blood hit the ground, followed shortly by the sound of Lee's knees and the sound of his body limply falling to the bloody grass.

Neji's eyes were wider then they had ever been. He tried to get up, but he fell weakly to his hands and knees. He dragged his body forward to his bleeding teammate, trying to press his hands to all his injuries. He pressed hard against Lee's neck, feeling the pulse weaken beneath his fingers. His body was shaking and he could barely breathe. Pain was beginning to overtake him completely.

_Lee… Lee…_

He coughed hard and agony ripped through his body. There was a bitter, metallic taste in his mouth as he gasped hard for air.

_Lee… Lee, don't die…_

The edges of his vision were going dark. He watched Lee's breath became shallower and fainter, the pulse all but disappearing from under his hands.

_Lee… Lee, no…_

Neji set his hand on the grass. The blood on his hand met the wet grass and slid. Neji hit the ground weakly and, no matter how much of his strength he put into it, he could not get back up. He was exhausted and his head was spinning. His pale eyes slid slowly over to Rock Lee.

Time seemed to slow down as Lee's breath did, creeping along slowly until Lee's breathing completely stopped. Then time stopped, hanging over what had been a fierce battle ground and what would be the final blow of a powerful rivalry. The world went silent and the air stood still.

"Lee."

The world came back to life with an explosion of sound. Dulled voices and heavy footsteps. Someone screamed and another began barking orders. Suddenly, there were hands on his body and foreign chakra began circulating through his body as panicked voices yelled from far away. He saw feet surrounding Rock Lee, followed by knees and hands pressing against his many wounds. One took his hand away, setting it beside him and then stepping in front of his eyes.

Somewhere far away, someone was screaming his name.

Neji closed his eyes.


	24. Closer

He awoke to find himself at the bottom of a lake of something heavy, thick, warm... deep and quiet. His could not open his eyes, for no part of his body wanted to move. It really did not matter. He was comfortable. It was nice. His body was pleasantly numb and all that was around him was a mere dull, meaningless hum in the darkness. He himself was weightless. It was quiet, peaceful and plainly, it suited him.

He was about to settle himself back into its warmth when something flickered across his mind. A single disturbing thought, one that had plagued him for unbearable amounts of time. That thought seemed to wrap around him, slowly pulling him upwards. He could not move, could not speak...

He broke the surface and suddenly felt weight pressed against his entire body, as if he were encased in something soft and heavy.

His eyes flickered open, blinking slowly. Darkness was softened by a single light, casting a forlorn shadow across the white walls. Fuzzy shapes and colors redefined themselves and settled to their spots along the walls. A mild beeping, a soft hiss and an occasional click and tap were all he heard.

He slowly moved his head, looking around carefully to find his bearings. His eyes rested on a thin, strong frame arched over the bedside, rising and falling softly with quiet breaths.

His mind took its time sending his message and his fingers were less then happy to oblige. Slowly and shakily, he lifted his hand and set it gently on the strong arm.

Tenten's eyes fluttered open, blinking owlishly as she sat up and looked around tiredly. Then, she turned and her soft brown eyes met his. For a moment, she was quiet, silent as she stared at him as if she could not process what he was. Then, her eyes filled with tears and her lips curled into a soft smile.

"Neji… you're alright…"

She took a quick glance at the door before quickly standing up and giving him a strong hug. She minded his injuries, careful to keep her weight off his chest and shoulders. This pretty much meant she was trying to strangle him. She kept her arms around his neck as seconds stretched to minutes, until Neji doubted that she would ever let go.

When she did, she gave him a sharp, but gentle slap on his less-injured arm. "You're so stupid! Don't give me that look, you know you are! Getting yourself beat up like this. Y'know that you're seriously the only one of the rescue team in the hospital right now? Well, you are because you're _retarded!"_

Neji stared at her.

Tenten sighed and sat back down, rubbing her eyes with one hand. "It's nice that you finally decided to wake up, though, Neji. You scared us."

"Tenten…"

"I wouldn't try and talk, Neji. The doctors had a hard time healing your lung and said you seriously need to take it easy."

"I am…"

"No, you're talking. Now shut up."

"Make me…"

Tenten's hand went threateningly to her weapons pouch. She raised a daring eyebrow at him and he settled back into silence.

"That's what I thought," she huffed, settling her hand back on the bedside. "It's amazing what a long nap can do to your pretty voice, huh?"

Neji groaned.

"There won't be a 'Phantom of the Hyuuga House' for awhile, will there, Neji-kun?"

"Shut up…"

Tenten set her chin on her hand and made a big deal of sighing and shaking her head. "Shame…"

"I said shut up…"

"Alright, alright, fine. Y'know, you almost gave Gai-sensei a heart attack, a stroke and several seizures, running off on your own like that. And while he was _asleep!_ You should be ashamed of yourself. He freaked out when he woke up and found out you had run off on him. What if you had been attacked, huh? What then?"

"Ten-"

_"This!_ This is what would have happened! God, Neji, you don't know what you _did_ to him! He went searching for you like a maniac, yelling and crying all over the place. Then, he went and found you almost dead-" Her sentence trailed off into silence.

"Tenten…"

She sniffed a little and wiped her eyes. "I'm going to get Gai-sensei."

"Tenten, wait-"

The kunoichi swept out of the room, wiping a hand over her eyes. Neji cursed mildly. He turned his pale eyes to a whiteboard, were a nurse had scrawled various amounts of information in almost illegible handwriting. He searched for the date among the scribbling of information. The numbers were messy, but they were clear enough.

Neji had been there for two days.

Suddenly, there was the sound of rolling thunder in the hallway. Nurses screamed and various objects hit the floor. Then, the door all but exploded off its hinges and a wide-eyed Gai stood in the wreckage, panting softly as he stared blankly at Neji.

Neji's eyes flickered around the room for a moment. "Gai… sensei?"

He watched as Gai's face slowly softened from absolute panic to a tearful face of relief. He half ran, half fell to Neji's bedside and his strong hands pressed carefully across his chest, his shoulders, his neck, his forehead, desperately as if he could not process by sight alone his student's condition. Then, he laid both shaking hands on Neji's cheeks and let his breath go with a sob. He pressed his lips against his forehead. "Neji… thank god…"

Neji blinked as tears spilled down his sensei's cheeks and fell to his. He struggled to get one hand up and onto Gai's arm, attempting to direct his attention away from his overwhelming relief. "Gai-sensei…!"

Gai pulled his face away from Neji's and his thumb brushed the teardrops off his skin. "How are you feeling?"

"Where's Lee…?"

Gai's face went white, turning his skin even paler then before. He drew his hands back slowly and averted his eyes. His eyes snapped sharply to Neji's heart monitor as it began beeping faster. His eyes returned to Neji only to find the boy staring back as passively as ever.

"Gai-sensei… where… is Lee?"

For a moment, Gai did not answer. He pulled up a chair, the one Tenten had been in before, and sighed deeply. "Neji… Lee… Lee's just-"

Neji activated his Byakugan and the pain behind his eyes. Gai faltered. Neji narrowed his eyes. "Gai-sensei…"

Gai closed his mouth for a moment and closed his eyes, setting his elbows on his knees and turning away from his student. "He's not doing well."

"Define… 'not doing well'…"

"He's-"

"In _detail…_"

Gai took a heavy breath. "He's unstable, Neji. He was in terrible condition when we found you. Severely dehydrated, hypothermic, extreme blood loss... Treating the bleeding, externally and internally, took a _team_ of medic nin and the transfusions took hours… but, he's still wavering."

Neji stared at him for a moment. "But… he's alive…?"

"Yes. He's alive."

Neji sighed softly and closed his eyes, his Byakugan fading back under his skin.

"Neji?"

Neji opened one eye to look at him.

Gai reached out and put a hand on his forehead. "You are very brave."

Neji's other eye slid open to fully question his sensei.

"There are very few shinobi that would seek a third round against an enemy that almost killed them _twice._"

Neji watched as Gai gave a smile that was filled with genuine pride, the kind that filled him to bursting and made him walk taller. That same smile that he had watched Lee with. That smile that said, 'That's _my _student'.

"I had completely given up, Neji. I was ready to quit for good. But, you… you wouldn't believe your teammate was gone and in the end… that kind of dedication is… it's just…"

"Youthful…?"

Gai chuckled and lifted his hand off his student's head. He scratched his fingers tiredly through his hair and glanced at the wall. Neji leaned his head back to follow his eyes. The wall was blank, but beyond it laid a room where his teammate was clinging to life. He frowned and activated his Byakugan again. He winced as the pain behind his eyes grew a little stronger as he searched the ICU until he found Rock Lee.

His breath hitched and he coughed, pain erupting like fire in his chest.

Neji felt his sensei's hands protectively on his arm. "Neji!"

Neji gave his sensei the best exasperated look he could, panting softly. Gai's breath was heavy, too, but slowly his coiled body relaxed back into his chair. His worried eyes never left though, watching Neji and his monitors like a mother hen.

"I want to see him…"

Gai's eyes snapped straight to Neji's face. "What?! Neji, you… just use the Byakugan-"

"No. I want… to see him…"

"You aren't in the condition. You can barely speak."

"You… owe me…"

That effectively silenced Gai. He stared into Neji's white eyes, fierce even when lying in the hospital. He sighed hard and rubbed his temples with one hand. "Neji-"

"Way to make an entrance, Gai-sensei."

Gai turned around to see Tenten walk into the room, giving the lopsided door a disapproving glance.

"I'm not fixing that either," she announced, finding another chair and settling herself in it. She looked between Neji and Gai and gave a playfully knowing smile. "Did I interrupt a 'moment'?"

Neji rolled his eyes a little.

"How are Naruto and Kiba?" asked Gai suddenly. Neji shot him a vicious glare, which Gai completely ignored.

"Angry," Tenten replied, pulling out a kunai and working with it in her hands. "They're in… pretty good condition considering the state of _some people._"  
Tenten paused to give Neji an accusing stare. He put forth the extra effort to flick her off. She stuck her tongue out at him and continued.

"Naruto's just tired and acting like he's never seen food before. Kiba… well…" She twirled her kunai up and balanced it skillfully on her fingertip, lightly bouncing it from finger to finger. "He _really_ hasn't seen food in awhile and he got into a huge fight that it tore up his leg pretty bad, but they say he'll still be kickin' pretty hard in about two weeks."

She laughed lightly and caught her kunai. "But, they both think they're fine and are already sick of the hospital and its staff!"

Gai forced a smile. "Well, that's wonderful. I'm sure Kakashi and Kurenai are thrilled."

"I guess you could call it that," Tenten replied sarcastically. "You wouldn't know it!"

As Tenten briefly looked down to slid her kunai back into its holster, Neji caught his sensei's eyes and attempted to stare him down. Gai was not to be intimidated. He firmly shook his head. Neji's eyes narrowed.

Tenten sighed heavily and complained, "You're really unfair, Neji. You always do this to me. Go off and get yourself all injured so I have no body to hang out with."

"How about you… hang out… with a _girl?"_

"They're no fun."

"Tomboy…"

"Pansy!"

The conversation went on like this for about an hour, until a nurse came in to shoo away Gai and Tenten. Sometime later, between the nurse introducing painkillers to his IV and the ruckus of Naruto escaping his room, Neji dropped off into sleep.

He awoke to his room suddenly being very dark, save for the soft glow of his monitors and the crack of light underneath the curtains. He blinked slowly, waiting for his eyes to become accustom to the lighting. He checked the clock. Even in the darkness, he read 3:42.

He slowly sat up, feeling the extent of how sore he was and the dull pain still radiating through his chest. He coughed lightly as he pulled the oxygen line from his face and set it aside. Then, he reached up to silence and turn off his monitors. Then, he began pulling the sensors off one by one, eyeing the still screens as if one was suddenly going to come back on. Then, he pressed a few buttons on the IV machine and pulled the needle from his arm.

He slid from his bed and carefully eased his weight onto legs stiff with disuse. He activated his Byakugan to check the staff wandering around outside. He sighed and flashed a quick, practiced set of hand signs.

"Transform."

Neji checked the mirror to make sure the technique went through. Then, he opened his door and walked out. A few of the nursing staff briefly looked up, but went back to their work without a second glance. Once again, Neji was victorious. He allowed himself the prize of a rare smile.

Then, there was a heavy hand on his shoulder. He did not have to turn around to know who it was. He swore and turned around. His sensei raised a heavy, disapproving eyebrow at him.

"You shouldn't be up," Gai scolded quietly. "You are still healing."

"And…?"

"The work done to your lung is delicate! If it opens again, you are in trouble."

Neji stared at him.

Gai stared back sternly. He lifted one hand, saying sharply, "Five minutes. Then, back to your room. Clear?"

"Sure…"

Gai sighed heavily and kept his hand on Neji's shoulder as they walked to Rock Lee's room. He stopped outside the clear glass walls. Anything Neji had prepared to say died before it reached his lips.

It was worse in person.

There were so many wires, tubes and machines attached to Lee that he was barely visible. The evidence of his fights could be seen between bandages in the form of dark bruises. A web of intravenous lines ran into his arms and neck. Monitors were carefully watching everything his body was doing and machines saw to what it was not.

Among it all, Lee looked very small.

Neji stared blankly. His arms hung uselessly at his side as his body suddenly felt weaker. He struggled to place that this was the same Rock Lee that had run laps around Konoha before breakfast, dragged cedar logs after him like pull-toys and offered his teammates piggyback rides when they were exhausted from long missions. It was almost impossible.

"Neji."

Neji tore his eyes away from the sad scene in front of him to glance at his sensei. But, Gai was not looking at him. His dark eyes were on Lee, full of pleading worry. It took minutes before they slid over to him. He stared at him for a long time, as if contemplating him. Then, he said quietly, "Come on. Someone's going to realize you're g-"

Then, the room exploded into a wave of alarms. Monitors flashed and machines whirred to life as several nurses rushed in. Their words morphed together under the noise of the alarms.

Neji watched anxiously as nurses struggled to stabilize his teammate. His breathing got heavier as their voices grew steadily louder, more desperate. Chakra flared, needles flashed. Nurses traded off, using huge amounts of their chakra in a desperate attempt to gain respond. Lee was unaware of the panic he was causing. In fact, among the milling of organized chaos, Lee looked amazingly serene.

And as suddenly as it had begun, it was over.

The monitors went quiet, returning to their normal positions. The machines clicked and whirred back to their jobs. The nurses exchanged glances and breathed sighs of relief. Then, they slowly dispersed from the room and went back to their normal routines.

Neji sighed quietly, coughing lightly. He felt his sensei's coiled body relax next to him. He peered over to him. Gai was staring into the room, at his protégé, with faraway eyes, as if he were somewhere else. His cheeks shimmered with tears, highlighting pale skin and deepening lines of age.

"Sensei?"

Gai returned to the present, blinking slowly and turning to him. He stared for a moment. Then, he seemed to deflate and he forced a smile.

"Let's go, Neji. Back to your room."

But, Neji only returned for a matter of hours. He returned to that glass wall that same night. His sensei came again and returned him to his bed after nurses began to panic. But, Neji once again left to watch Lee through the clear glass. Gai sent him back to his room. Neji wouldn't stay there. So, Gai tied Neji to the bed.

Neji escaped.

Gai gave up and welcomed the company.

The nurses were at a loss.


	25. And So It Ends

Maito Gai was becoming hysterical again, pacing like a caged animal and biting nervously at his thumbnail. Nurses tried to assure him that Rock Lee was stable, that the incidents were over. Tenten argued on their side, walking beside him and trying to force a bento box into Gai's hands. He refused politely, continuing to pace and casting worried glances at his prized student. Tenten stamped her foot and shouted at him.

Neji watched from his place at the windowsill, where he sat cross-legged and quiet as the scene unfolded. The bento box Tenten had brought him laid at his side, lonely and untouched.

He was unsure of why Gai was suddenly refusing to eat again. Lee was stable and it appeared as if he were going to remain that way. Most the machines that had been keeping him alive were no longer necessary. Besides the complicated webbing of monitor wires and intravenous lines, Lee's body was taking care of itself. Things were looking up.

Perhaps he had the same sinking feeling that Neji had, somewhere under his heart and in the pit of his stomach, that this was not over, that Lee was not safe. Perhaps he was paranoid, but Neji was not at ease. He knew Kakashi, Kurenai and Gai were all on mandatory leave, stationed to guard their students. He knew some of the nurses were not as they seemed, disguised ANBU placed to watch the three genin.

The level of security placed around them made Neji sure that everyone knew something he did not.

"-Fine! You win!" Tenten yelled, slamming the box down on a table with enough force that the box cracked. "But, it's right _here!"_

She turned on Neji and glared at him as if he had insulted her. Then, she turned sharply on her heel and stormed out.

Naruto veered off-course and out of her way. He watched her back for a moment before poking his head inside and blurting out, "Who pissed _her_ off?"

Gai sighed and cast a quick glance at Lee, who was as peaceful as ever. Then, he looked over to Neji, sitting calmly in the window. "Watch him."

Neji shrugged.

Gai left the room, brushing past Kakashi, who had his nose buried in the latest installment of Icha Icha Paradise. Kakashi, enthralled in the series, settled himself in the doorway and contented himself with flipping slowly through the pages.

Using his good arm, Naruto vaulted over the back of a chair. He flopped to his knees in it and leaned over Lee's bed. He looked him over. Then, his mouth closed into a concerned line before he said, "Lee? Oi, Lee."

"He can't hear you."

Naruto looked up at Neji, as if just realizing he was there. "Huh?"

"He can't hear you."

"Well, maybe-"

"There's no maybe. He can't hear you."

Naruto was quiet for a moment, suddenly looking very tired. He sighed heavily and leaned down to lay his head on his arms. "He's getting better, right?"

"That's what they say."

"Did they say when…?"

"It's impossible to tell for sure."

"It's not fair."

"Life's not fair."

"What's your problem?!" Naruto snapped, sitting up sharply and turning fierce blue eyes on Neji. "Can't you show a _little_ feeling here? Your teammate's in a frickin' coma!"

"There's nothing I can do about that."

"You could _care!_"

"I do."

"Ha! Could've fooled me!"

"Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

_**"What?!"**_

"Don't talk about things you don't understand. It makes you look stupid and childish."

"Things I don't understand? Things _I_ don't understand?! I know more then you _ever_ will! I have been through things with this guy that you can't _imagine!"_

"Is that so? Well, elaborate. Tell me about it."

Naruto went silent. He looked towards Lee for a moment, then looked away.

"Exactly."

Naruto ground his teeth viciously and marched towards Neji threateningly, snarling, "You son of a-"

"Naruto."

The blonde boy stopped a foot away from Neji and turned to the doorway. Kakashi was eyeing him from over his book. He shook his head and gestured him over, saying, "Come on. Back to your own room."

"But, sensei-!"

"Come on, Naruto. You aren't in the condition to be picking fights."

_"Sensei!"_

"Naruto." Kakashi's voice took a warning drawl. He shut his book and gestured at his student. "Come on."

Naruto growled and whirled back around to Neji. He met his eyes and glared with all his strength. Neji challenged the gaze with cool eyes, until Naruto tossed his head angrily. The boy turned sharply on his heel and walked out.

Neji watched him leave with jealous eyes.

"Neji."

The Hyuuga tore his eyes from Naruto's back and placed them on Kakashi. The jounin slid his book in his pocket and gave Neji a lazy stare.

"I advise you to take your own advice and not talk about what you don't understand," he said quietly, standing up straighter and tucking his hands in his pockets. "Naruto is not kidding. He's been through a lot."

Neji narrowed his eyes. "Is that so?"

"It's not my place to say."

"Doesn't seem like it's anyone's _place."_

Kakashi shrugged and turned to leave, saying over his shoulder, "I'm just saying. It would be wise to try not to judge until you know more."

"I'd know if it were anyone's place to tell me," Neji told his back, as it disappeared through the doorway. He watched the empty doorframe and suddenly felt very angry with everyone who passed it.

What right did they have to know what he did not? How dare they hide it from him! What made them so much better then him, so much more fit to know? What qualified them to judge that he could not handle knowing, that he was too young, too inexperienced? Why was he suddenly not like the other shinobi?

Neji got up and grabbed the curtain, yanking it shut.

For a moment, he just stood there, the plainly printed curtain still clutched in his hand. It was not fair. He just wanted to know why his friend was like this, what had driven him to it. It was not so much to ask!

Neji let the fabric slide from his hand and his hand fell to his side.

Life was not fair.

Neji moved across the room. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and stopped. He stood there and stared at himself. He reached up carefully to touch the bandages peeking from underneath his clothes, the dark bruises splayed across his face. He turned quietly to the figure lying peacefully on the bed, still was serene as ever.

Neji found himself a chair at Lee's bedside and sat down.

He sat there for what seemed like eternity, quiet, unmoving, unseeing. Stillness slipped the distinction of time from its place and turned seconds to minutes, stretching a moment beyond a moment and weaving a distinct tension into the shroud of silence.

Then, he carefully slid his hand under Lee's and gently grasped his fingers, feeling just the tips peeking from underneath layers of bandages. His eyes slid over his teammate's body, coming to rest on the stillness of his face.

It was unreal that it was a face that exploded with raw emotion when awake.

Fear, confidence, joy, sorrow, anger, love…

Neji opened his mouth several times before finally taking a deep breath and saying quietly, "I miss you, Lee."

Neji let that hang in the silence for a moment, before he continued.

"I know you can't hear me and I'm probably talking to myself here, but…"

Neji fell silent again. He bit his lip, trying to find the words for it. He sighed heavily. "Look, whether you can hear me or not, you know what I'm saying. Sappy monologues aren't my forte, they never have been. I just… it's been over a year, I haven't seen you and… I… I…"

Neji found himself once again at a loss. He searched for the words to say, the words that would express what he meant to, but as he sought them on his teammate's face, they eluded him. He closed his mouth mutely and his eyes fell to his hand. He gently petted his thumb over Lee's fingers, watching the bandages ripple under his touch.

He sighed and closed his other hand over them, closing his eyes quietly.

"I… love you…"

The words were quiet, almost inaudible, but they were there and they were real. When all else eluded him, that was what Neji knew. He loved Lee. That was all there was to it.

Tension drained from the silence that hung in the room and the weakness in Neji's body slowly came rolling into its place. The Hyuuga opened his eyes slowly and gave his teammate a sideways glance. Lee's face was still. Neji's eyes fell shut again. He slid one hand from Lee's.

Lee's fingers tightened softly.

Neji's eyes snapped back open. He quickly looked from Lee's hand to his face.

It was still.

Neji watched carefully as he replaced his hand and said softly, "Lee?"

No response.

"Lee?" Neji gently rubbed his fingers over Lee's. "Lee."

Lee remained still.

Neji pressed his lips together He slid his thumbs under Lee's fingers and gripped his hand between his own. "Lee. Lee, get up."

Nothing.

Neji stared at Lee's emotionless face and shook his head. He gave a heavy sigh and pressed his forehead against Lee's hand. "Lee…"

Lee's fingers tightened again.

Neji stared at them for a moment before lifting his head and looking once again at his teammate, whose was still serene as ever. He stared at him for a long time before he ventured out once more to say, "Lee?"

His face twitched gently and his fingers squeezed Neji's a little harder. Neji's heart slammed against his throat. His hands gripped Lee's hard and he bit his lip as Lee's face moved tiny bits at a time. His heart raced, beating wildly against his chest.

Lee's eyes slid open.

Neji let his breath go with a shuddering sigh. "Lee…"

Lee blinked slowly for a moment, his eyes moving almost curiously around the room. Then, his eyes slid over to Neji and met his.

For a moment, there was nothing. The sinking feeling slid under Neji's stomach that perhaps Lee could not recognize him.

Then, the corner of Lee's mouth slid up in a lopsided smile.

"N… Neji…"

The word was slurred to the point that it was almost unintelligible. Neji stared at him for a moment, feeling Lee's hand shaking in his.

Then, he realized Lee was not shaking.

Tears slid down his cheeks. He tried to speak, but nothing would come out. His breath came out in a shuddering sigh and hitched quietly. He suddenly felt weak and his forearms hit the bed. For a moment, he just stared at Lee's hand clutched between his own.

Then, he cried.

He could feel Lee grasping at his hand worriedly, but he just held onto it and sobbed quietly. Lee was awake. He was alive, he was _home._ That is all he needed to know.

It seemed like forever before Neji was able to sit back up. He sniffed softly and wiped his eyes on the back of his hand with a sigh. He met his lover's dark, tired eyes and could not help but smile a little.

"L… love… Neji…"

"Love Lee."

Lee's smile straightened out a bit.

Then, the moment was broken as the curtain was yanked straight off its runner. Tenten came staggering in, pushed forward by a panicked Maito Gai. The jounin had several kunai in his hand, looking around with wild eyes at the quiet room.

"Gai-sensei?"

Gai's eyes snapped over to Neji.

"You're freaking out Lee."

Silence.

Then, Gai burst into tears and ran to the bedside. Strong hands began petting Lee's body and he began talking quickly and incomprehensibly. Neji watched as Lee was suddenly bathed in the raw emotions of his sensei, smiling and silently trying to comfort him.

"Oi, Neji."

Neji turned a little at the whisper in his ear. Tenten's brown eyes were sparkling with tears, but she was smiling. "Sorry I couldn't get you a bit more time. He was desperate."

"What?"

"Oh, you know!" Tenten hugged him around the neck with a little squeal. "Why didn't you tell me you hooked up with Lee?"

Neji turned bright red.

Tenten hooked an arm around his neck in a teasing headlock, whispering, "You two are going to be so damn cute!"

Neji struggled out of her lock and gave her an exasperated glare. She punched him lightly and perched on the back of his chair. Together, they watched a teacher and his pupil reunited and gave a warm welcome back to life.

**0-0-0-0**

**A/N: After over a year of work and several overhauls, Submission is finally over. It has been a fun, obsessive ride and I'm glad to have finally done it after so long. It is one in the morning and I am proud to say this is the end of the line.**

**But, this story is **_**far**_** from over.**

**Yeah, you read right. There's going to be a sequel. ;) **


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